OREANDA-NEWS. September 18, 2015. IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today began demolishing a covered parking structure where it will construct a new, larger store in Renton, WA across the 29-acre parcel from its current Seattle-area store. Razing the building will make room for construction of the new Renton store, slated to open in Spring 2017. Until then, customers can continue to shop at the existing IKEA store.

Actual store construction likely will commence later this year after completion of the demolition and site preparation. Additionally, reflecting the company’s commitment to sustainability, IKEA is working to recycle, repurpose or salvage as much of the existing buildings’ equipment, materials, and parts as possible. IKEA has contracted with Deacon Corp. to build the store, and plans reflect the same unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide.

“We are thrilled by the progress represented by this demolition milestone as we prepare to construct a new and updated Seattle-area store,” said Lars Petersson, IKEA US president. “After more than 20 years operating at this Renton location, we look forward to many more years – but now with a new store that will offer Seattle-area customers an updated, spacious and enhanced IKEA shopping experience.”

The 398,000-square-foot current Seattle-area IKEA store is located on 29 acres in Renton, near State Highway 167, approximately 11 miles southeast of downtown Seattle. Built in 1979, the original, single-level structure previously had been utilized as a warehouse for aerospace electronics until IKEA converted it to be a retail store in October 1994. The future 406,000-square-foot new Renton store would consist of two levels, provide nearly 1,600 convenient parking spaces, offer a more current layout and reflect the same unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide.

During the construction period, IKEA will be providing additional parking nearby on weekends for customers and shuttling them to the store. Customers can find detailed information about parking directions, shuttle plans and construction updates available at IKEA-USA.com/Seattle and @IKEA_Seattle.

An updated Seattle-area IKEA store would feature the same 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a larger restaurant for serving Swedish specialties. Other family-friendly features include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the showroom, baby-care rooms, play areas throughout the store, and preferred parking. IKEA now also offers a product picking and delivery service, and an IKEA FAMILY loyalty program. In addition to the already 350 Renton coworkers as part of the global IKEA family, IKEA would generate even more annual sales and property tax revenue to the city and local schools.

Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings of good design and function at low prices so the majority of people can afford them. There are currently more than 370 IKEA stores in 47 countries, including 40 in the U.S. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information see IKEA-USA.com, @IKEAUSA, @IKEAUSANews, or IKEAUSA on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.