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IKEA store coming to Winnipeg

By: Staff Writer

16/12/2008 9:00 AM | Comments: 29

Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz (right), outside his city hall office, demonstrates his enthusiasm for IKEA's plans to build a store in Winnipeg.

JOE BRYKSA/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz (right), outside his city hall office, demonstrates his enthusiasm for IKEA's plans to build a store in Winnipeg.

Call it a pre-Christmas miracle: IKEA announced this morning that it will open a store in Winnipeg.

Officials with the Swedish furniture chain said the company has purchased a piece of the former CN Intermodal Terminal site at Kenaston Boulevard and Sterling Lyon Parkway.

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"We are continually reviewing expansion opportunities in Canada, and have for a long time considered Winnipeg as a key market for expansion," IKEA president Kerri Molinaro said in a news release.

"If we are able to secure the approvals necessary to accommodate our needs, we will look forward to serving the Winnipeg market and are confident that we will have a positive impact on the community through job creation and service contracts."

IKEA said it will built a 350,000-square-foot store, becoming an anchor tenant in a 1.5 million retail development on the southwest Winnipeg site.

Madeleine Löwenborg-Frick, IKEA’s public relations manager, said the new store will be one of the company’s largest in Canada.

Winnipeg has always been on IKEA’s radar, Löwenborg-Frick said, adding the company doesn’t move swiftly when it comes to expansion.

"We only build 20 stores world wide every year," she said. "Contrary to what some have maintained, we firmly believe Winnipeg can support one of our largest stores in Canada. We really do our homework to determine the sustainability and viability of our markets."

The new store would open sometime between late 2011 and early 2013. Löwenborg-Frick said the earliest IKEA officials will make an appearance in Winnipeg is March for an open house with concept plans.


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The opening is not so far off, she said, adding that IKEA usually spends 18 months developing plans before construction begins.

The deal is contingent on receiving planning approvals from the province and the City of Winnipeg.

The Doer government and the city confirmed Tuesday they will chip in to bring IKEA to town.

Plans to widen Kenaston Boulevard and Sterling Lyon Parkway are being sped up to meet the timelines of the proposed megastore, pending a public rezoning process. The province will advance up to $8 million it wasn’t planning to spend for several years -- even decades -- on the road work.

"By accelerating existing infrastructure plans, we are encouraging smart responsible development and I am thrilled to see this major retail project transform from talk to action," Mayor Sam Katz said in a release.

The province is keen to speed up all infrastructure spending to stave off an economic downturn, but Doer was coy when pressed last month about incentives he might be eyeing to woo IKEA to Winnipeg.

IKEA has 275 stores in 36 countries, 11 of them in Canada.

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29 Commentscomment icon

When Ikea moved from the South part of Edmonton to South Edmonton Common they helped out in the contruction of an interchange to ease traffic concerns. I am certain something like that could be worked out here (widening Kenaston etc.. To all the complainers out there, shut your pie holes, don your Grad 86' jackets and jump in your El Caminos with your case of Club beer and drive out to Grand Beach where you can reminisce about all your great times at the Diamond Club and The Oak (twenty years ago!!). I plan to be first in line and the new IKEA and it will be great. Trust me they have done their homwork (feasability studies, their presence at the Home Expressions Show 3 1/2 years ago etc etc). Bring on the Swedes!!!!!

firstly, f'n right, IKEA is a status piece that helps us reinforce winnipeg as the center of NA. We are the shipping, and business hub of NA, East, West, South, West, it flows from Winnipeg. Perfect test market for any product, we're freaking cheap people, and in business, if you make it in winnipeg, you can make it anywhere. IKEA has been growing popularity in the recent decade, with thier crafty and nifty, "euro" design that looks good, adn carries a certain standard of quality that can be trusted. Location? AMAZING!!!.. Lets look at this rationally..... route 90 is a major connecting piece to the city transportsation.....brookside, oakside highway, King edward, Kenaston to Bishop AKA route 90. This enables IKEA to be located on a LARGE piece of land located on an expressway. Lets look at some of the developments in the past while.... Lindenwoods pops up overnight, white ridge, safeway and walmart and mcdonalds. then comes Boston pizza, and then so on... eventually filled with box stores, and Winnipeg realized that the underpass was necessary. thus the kenaston underpass is born. Sterling Lyon parkway is created but very poorly designed. Double to Single lane in 200 Yards(Dangerous as all hell!), that could have been double lane from the start! Thanks for not spending the 8 mill sooner, but I guess it helps out job industry and economy. Mcgillvary BLVD recently was double lanes out, and the crews worked fast, under the spot lights. Shall we mention the triple lane bridge at river and route 90 that was created? Isn't there some sort of Asper deal that will give the Bombers and Bisions a new home at the U of M?? All in all great choice and land location for a large business like IKEA. I hope that they commit a certain % to local causes and charity.

So a local furniture company is on the verge of bankruptcy having to shut down for a number of weeks and laying off hundreds of employees and our mayor is rejoicing in the fact that a foreign company which sells Made In China crap is moving in replacing those full time jobs with part time min. wage positions. That's great.

Excellent to have a new business to Winnipeg. However, I agree with many of the readers...Traffic is terrible in this NEW area of the city. No foresight or street planning was used. There should be access roads, minimal traffic lights, and it should be a high speed corridor. As one reader suggested a clover leaf. Time to think ahead and keep the traffic moving. A traffic light is not the solution for every intersection! Look at other cities for examples!!

Personally I welcome this. Bringing an IKEA to Winnipeg will force places like EQ3 to lower their prices (for essentially the same quality crap furniture), and force other outlets like DeFehr and Kitchen Craft to get with the program and hire designers that will appeal to people under 60.

All you negative nellies can continue to buy your furniture at Leon's or The Brick. No one is forcing you to shop at IKEA and your negativity is not welcome!

Are Winnipeger's scared of progress???? The whole world is experiencing financial doom and gloom and an international corp. wants to open one of it's biggest stores in the country HERE and people just complain. Shame on you!!! Think of all the surrounding areas from Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina right across to Thunder Bay all the people who will come and eat at our restaurants, stay in our hotels and help keep our YES OUR economy going. Is that a bad thing???? Don't forget anyone of us could by laid off anytime, PEOPLE WE ARE IN A RECESSION appreciate the fact that a company of that magnitude is willing to put and bring money to OUR economy.Plus it's a great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning cheap good breakfast and all the knick knacks to big ticket items you could ask for.

Hey, Winnipeg Free Press, why have a view all comments area, plus show 2O comments are available, but then not give your readers the opportunity to read them? Just thought I could get your attention this way, concerning this problem, if it is one.

Bitch, bitch, bitch. Is that all Winnipeggers do? Christmas is less than 10 days away, and are you that grouchy all ready? I am one Winnipegger who is just giddy with excitement that this store is coming here, and I can hardly wait for it to open. This is indeed my Christmas present! This huge store is in a perfect location, as it joins the major arteries in this city, and it is close to the airport for shipping etc. IKEA and the consumer both benefit by this location. It is great for all of the 20,000 immigrants who will come to this province as they would like to get nice, inexpensive things for their apartments, and not the crap from Wal-Mart. Yes, it is a big box store, and a massive one at that. I am eagerly awaiting to see what else is included in this new shopping area. Yup, it will be a bit of a traffic nightmare, but I don't live in that part of town, so I don't really care. Sound familiar? NIMBY strikes again. Since governments in this province are jumping and embracing this idea that is indeed a nice change, and by putting up the money up front, says yes Manitoba is open for business. Just think, by the time this store is opened, this global economic gloom and doom will be finishing, and then watch the provincial economy soar. This is a good thing for this city and province on so many levels, and why can't we ever accept that? I have, and so have many other shoppers in this city.

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We apologize for the View all comments glitch... we are working on that now. John White

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