The iconic bright yellow and blue signs are up at Destiny USA in Syracuse, and an army of greeters were ready to welcome Central New York shoppers to the new IKEA store Friday morning.
The store’s footprint covers more than 8,000 square feet where the At Home store formerly resided, along the mall’s southwest end. Other locations cover 70,000 to as much as 350,000 square feet.
Manager John Spence said shoppers accustomed to the giant IKEA store formats in other cities will find the Syracuse retailer cozier. But he said it will offer everything the flagship stores carry.
“The retail landscape is changing and there’s different ways that we’re meeting our customers, but we know there’s an ask and a demand for us to be in CNY and Ikea wants to be more accessible for the many people and by putting in this new format store, will give us the opportunity to do that,” said Spence.
This smaller retail IKEA has more than 5500 items on display, added Spence, with 3000 more available online to pick up or have delivered to homes. He also noted that the price of good has been a key concern for the company.
“Affordability is key for IKEA, so we wanted to be affordable in the market. We know that’s important in the current climate,” asserted Spence, who said that the company monitors prices on similar products to stay competitive.
The Syracuse location will include a signature cafe, though not have as many room layouts on display or other features. The store is expected to employ about 45 people.
The appeal for IKEA is in part due to the Scandinavian design of many of the brand's furniture and home products. For those who wanted to shop at IKEA before, the nearest locations were in Paramus, New Jersey or in New York City.