JUST IN: Ikea to open small-format location in Pentagon City

(Updated at 11:30 a.m.) Ikea is planning to open a small-format “Plan and Order” location in Pentagon City this summer.

The company made the announcement this morning. The 5,000 square foot location will be opening at the Pentagon Centre shopping center at 1201 S. Hayes Street, home to Costco and across the street the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall.

Unlike the traditional large-format warehouse stores that Ikea currently has in College Park and Woodbridge, the Plan and Order points only allow customers to order items — like kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture and fixtures — for delivery.

There are currently no other Ikea small-format stores open in the D.C. area. When ARLnow checked with the company last month about a rumor of its impending arrival in Arlington, the company declined to confirm the news.

The new location will have a “similar look and feel” to one that recently opened in Melbourne, Australia — pictured above — a company media rep said. Somewhat larger “Planning Studio” Ikea locations have opened recently in Los Angeles, Toronto, New York City, Paris and Moscow, part of a more than $3 billion investment in new and existing stores, ModernRetail reported.

Pentagon Centre owner Kimco is updating its existing plans to redevelop large parts of the shopping center, including the Costco, ARLnow reported earlier this week. The developer is still signing 10-year leases with retailers, however, in anticipation of this being a long term project.

More on Ikea from a press release, below.

Today, IKEA U.S. announced plans for a new Plan & order point located in Arlington, VA, which is set to open in summer 2023. This new customer meeting point, located in the Pentagon Centre shopping center, is more conveniently located to better meet the needs of Metro DC customers and will focus on providing interior design planning with IKEA specialists.

The IKEA Arlington Plan & order point is different from the traditional large-format IKEA stores and will only offer items for delivery. Customers will have the opportunity to meet with the IKEA store team to plan and order home furnishing solutions that require a bit more help, such as kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms. Arrangements will be made to have all items conveniently transported to a customer’s home or to another convenient point of delivery.

“We are on a journey to bring the IKEA experience closer to our customers in city centers. We’re excited to introduce the IKEA Arlington Plan & order point, giving customers a more convenient way to shop our affordable home furnishing products and solutions,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA U.S.

IKEA has been on the outskirts of the DC market for more than 20 years with large-format IKEA stores in Woodbridge, VA and College Park, MD. IKEA Arlington will be located in the Pentagon Centre at 1201 S. Hayes Street, Pentagon City, Arlington, VA in 5,012 square feet of leased space. It will be easily accessible by Metro via the Yellow or Blue line, Metrobus or car.

“We’re excited to welcome customers living in the DC Metro area or the DMV to a new IKEA location this summer, with more to come in the future. The Plan & order point concept has been created with the unique needs of local consumers in mind, from the proximity to public transportation and delivery and assembly options, to the opportunity for affordable design services,” said Raquel Ely, Market Manager, IKEA U.S.

In addition to opening new Plan & order points in city centers, IKEA U.S. has made significant investments to enhance its e-commerce experience and service offerings, including new IKEA Family benefits, lower priced shipping and delivery, Click & collect, and TaskRabbit assembly services.

Photo by Jueun Song on Unsplash