IKEA plans to open second Virginia store in Norfolk

IKEA announced Tuesday it is planning to submit plans to the City of Norfolk to open its second store in Virginia.

The 331,000-square-foot IKEA store and 1,000 parking spaces would be built on 19 acres at the Intersection of 64 and Northampton Boulevard. The project is expected to create 250 employees and 500 construction jobs.

“We are excited at the possibility of growing our Southeastern U.S. presence with a Norfolk store,” IKEA U.S. President Lars Petersson said in a statement. “A location in this retail corridor would provide our nearly 35,000 Hampton Roads customers their own store and introduce the unique IKEA shopping experience to others through southeast Virginia.”

The proposed IKEA Norfolk would feature almost 10,000 items and include a 450-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties, baby-care room, a supervised children’s play area and play areas throughout the store.

If approved by Norfolk, construction would begin in spring 2017, and the store would open in the summer of 2018.

IKEA is a Swedish company known for offering affordable home furnishings. IKEA has more than 380 stores in 48 countries, including 42 in the U.S.

In addition to its store in Woodbridge, IKEA also opened a furniture factory in Danville in 2008.