IKEA has decided to close one of its stores just a year after it completed a full renovation at the location.
Memphis residents say they are saddened to see the affordable Swedish retailer shut its doors in the Tennessee city later this year.
Once the IKEA store closes on May 3, there will be no more in-store shopping locations in Tennessee. There is another store in Antioch, Tennessee, but it’s pick-up only.
“I just found a place where I can get all the items that I need, and then now I find out it’s closing,” IKEA shopper Jim Kincaid told WMC Memphis. “That’s devastating news to me.”
In an announcement on Tuesday, the retailer said it decided to close its Memphis store after “a comprehensive review, and considering several factors including market share, business performance, cost structure, and overall optimization of physical assets.”
The news came as a shock to some.
“From what we see, it’s busy all the time, never heard about anything bad about it. It’s convenient,” Memphis shopper Milton Siler said of the IKEA location.
“We have friends that come from out of town. They come in here to specifically visit the store before they go back,” Siler told WMC Memphis. “We did not see that coming
The Memphis store had just undergone renovations that IKEA unveiled about a year ago.
After opening the Memphis location in 2016, IKEA overhauled its showroom and market hall. The renovations included a Central Planning Hub with experts ready to help customers with home projects and a 100-plus-seat Swedish restaurant and food market.
The Independent has reached out to IKEA for comment.
Another IKEA shopper, Morgan Shea, called the store closure “really heartbreaking.”
“It’s rare to find affordable, good furniture,” she told WMC Memphis.
IKEA said Memphis customers can still shop online for its home goods.
Despite the Memphis closure, IKEA is investing $2.2 billion in the U.S., according to the company’s announcement.
This investment includes the opening of 14 “new format” stores last year and plans to add an undisclosed number of new locations this year.
As for the workers impacted by the Memphis store closure, IKEA said it will try to “retain as many co-workers as possible by supporting transitions into roles at other IKEA locations.”
Those who do not want to relocate will be offered severance.
