IKEA is known around the world for being the go-to destination for affordable, stylish furniture and home goods. But did you know that IKEA also operates some of the largest retail stores on the planet? As a long-time follower of the retail industry, I‘m always impressed by the massive scale of IKEA‘s biggest locations. Today, I want to take you on a tour of the top 10 largest IKEA stores in the United States.
Whether you‘re an IKEA superfan or just curious about these gigantic retail wonderlands, read on to discover what makes each of the biggest US IKEA stores so unique. We‘ll explore store features, size comparisons, and some fun facts that demonstrate just how huge these IKEAs really are. I‘ll also share some expert insights into IKEA‘s large store format strategy and why it‘s been so successful.
The Top 10 Biggest IKEA Stores in the United States
Let‘s get right to it – here are the 10 biggest IKEA locations in the US, ranked by total retail space:
| Rank | Location | Square Footage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burbank, CA | 456,000 |
| 2 | Schaumburg, IL | 450,000 |
| 3 | Renton, WA | 399,000 |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | 370,000 |
| 5 | San Diego, CA | 365,000 |
| 6 | Houston, TX | 353,000 |
| 7 | Charlotte, NC | 351,000 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | 340,000 |
| 9 | Centennial, CO | 330,000 |
| 10 | Brooklyn, NY | 328,000 |
To put those massive sizes in perspective, consider that the average American home is around 2,300 square feet (source). The Burbank IKEA is equivalent in size to nearly 200 average-sized houses! Even the "smallest" store on this list, the Brooklyn location, could fit over 140 homes inside it.
These gigantic retail spaces are a relatively recent development for IKEA. Many of the company‘s earlier US stores, built in the 1990s and early 2000s, ranged from 150,000-250,000 square feet. But as IKEA‘s popularity grew and it expanded its product offerings, the retailer began supersizing its new locations. 9 of the 10 biggest IKEAs opened within the past 20 years.
The most recent addition to the top 10 list is the 328,000 square foot Brooklyn store, which opened in 2008. It was an ambitious urban project, built on a 6.5-acre waterfront site that required extensive environmental remediation (source). The location presented unique challenges, like having to elevate the store above the 100-year floodplain.
How the Biggest US Stores Compare to International IKEAs
As big as these top US stores are, they‘re actually not the largest IKEAs in the world. That distinction currently goes to the new location in Manila, Philippines, which opened in 2021. It spans a whopping 65,000 square meters (nearly 700,000 square feet)! (source) This megastore features 5 stories packed with over 8,000 products, plus its own call center and e-commerce hub.
Prior to the Manila store‘s opening, the Gwangmyeong location in South Korea held the biggest IKEA crown at 59,000 square meters (635,000 square feet). This store is spread over 5 floors and includes not just shopping but also a cultural complex with a store, park, and even horse riding stables (source).
Stockholm, Sweden boasts the largest IKEA in Europe, which covers 55,217 square meters (594,000 square feet). The iconic store in IKEA‘s home country is listed as an official tourist attraction for visitors to the Swedish capital (source).
So while the top US IKEAs are tremendously large, they have some stiff competition on the global stage. The biggest American location in Burbank would rank around the 5th largest in the world. However, the US is still home to an impressive 12 of the 20 biggest IKEAs worldwide.
It‘s worth noting that not all IKEA stores are massive warehouses. The smallest IKEA in the world is actually a pop-up store in Hong Kong, which focuses on everyday household items and food offerings. This compact format is part of IKEA‘s broader strategy to experiment with smaller urban stores, particularly in Asia and Europe (source).
What Makes IKEA‘s Biggest Stores So Special?
Size alone doesn‘t make IKEA‘s largest locations noteworthy – it‘s what the company does with all that space that really makes them stand out. Let‘s take a closer look at some of the unique features and offerings at the biggest US stores:
Vast product variety: Larger stores can stock pretty much the entire IKEA product catalog, giving shoppers an unbeatable selection. You‘ll find everything from full room sets to small decorative items. The Schaumburg location, for example, carries over 12,000 products (source).
Huge warehouse sections: A major chunk of each store‘s square footage is devoted to the warehouse area, where you can pick out flat-packed items to take home. Some of the largest locations stock over 100,000 different products! The Burbank store‘s warehouse alone is nearly 250,000 square feet.
Multiple food venues: Most IKEAs have a cafe and Swedish food market, but the biggest go above and beyond. The Burbank store features 6 different food spots, including a full-service restaurant and a bistro serving specialty waffles (source). Because when you‘re exploring several football fields‘ worth of retail space, you‘re gonna get hungry!
Ample planning spaces: Customers can take advantage of large, comfortable spaces to design their perfect room setup. The Schaumburg location has over 30 different room vignettes to help with inspiration (source). Many stores also offer free one-on-one design consultations with IKEA experts.
Supervised children‘s play areas: Parents rejoice – many of the biggest stores have sizeable play areas where kids can hang out under staff supervision while the adults shop. The Småland play area is a staple of larger stores, giving kids a slide, ball pit and other activities to enjoy. Some locations even host regular events like story times and seasonal festivals.
Extra customer services: The top IKEAs tend to have the most robust service offerings, like home delivery, assembly, and installation. Certain stores also have dedicated planning experts for kitchens, bathrooms and other rooms. The Renton location is known for having one of the most comprehensive service centers, with over 200 employees assisting customers.
It‘s this combination of huge product assortments and helpful services that really puts the biggest IKEAs a cut above your average furniture store. Visiting one of these retail marvels can be an all-day experience, with something to discover around every corner.
The Strategy Behind IKEA‘s Large Store Format
So why has IKEA chosen to build such enormous stores, particularly in the US market? As a retail specialist, I believe it comes down to a few key strategic factors:
Creating a destination experience: IKEA wants its stores to be more than just a place to shop – they‘re designed as destinations for fun, inspiration, and hands-on learning. Larger square footage allows for more experiential elements like room displays, product testing, and communal spaces. It‘s all about giving customers reasons to visit beyond just making a purchase.
Driving footfall with "retail theme park" appeal: There‘s a psychological pull to a store so big it‘s basically a theme park for furniture. The maze-like floor plans, constant product displays, and various side attractions are all designed to pull you in and keep you exploring for hours. This "GRUEN effect" (named for retail design pioneer Victor Gruen) is especially powerful in IKEA‘s large formats (source).
Catering to a wide audience: By stocking a huge variety of products at different price points, IKEA can appeal to everyone from college students to homeowners to professional designers. Large store layouts let the company segment its offerings for different target markets without a cluttered feel. It‘s a true one-stop shop for all your home needs.
Keeping prices low: Operating massive stores in centralized locations is often more cost-effective than having many smaller stores. IKEA can reduce its overhead and inventory costs this way, passing the savings on to customers. The self-service store pickup model also encourages a higher average order value per trip. These economies of scale are key to IKEA‘s "affordable luxury" brand positioning.
Enabling logistics and fulfillment: While the customer-facing part of an IKEA store is massive, there‘s even more happening behind the scenes. Most large locations have ample backroom space for receiving shipments and storing inventory. Some even act as regional distribution centers supporting online order fulfillment and home delivery. The Burbank store, for instance, stocks nearly $60 million of inventory at any given time (source).
While the megastore approach may seem counterintuitive in the age of e-commerce, IKEA has found great success by going big. The large format generates foot traffic, inspires customer loyalty, and sets the brand apart from the competition. In many ways, IKEA‘s huge stores are the antidote to "showrooming" – they give shoppers a unique, immersive experience that simply can‘t be replicated online.
Of course, operating retail locations of this size is not without challenges. Large stores can be expensive to build and maintain, and they require significant inventory planning and logistics coordination. There‘s also the risk of overwhelming customers who may feel lost in such a vast space.
To address these concerns, IKEA is investing heavily in technology and data analytics to optimize everything from store layouts to product assortments (source). The company is also testing new formats like urban planning studios and pop-up shops to complement its big-box flagships.
Ultimately, I believe IKEA‘s large store format will continue to be a major asset, even as the retail landscape evolves. These locations offer a sense of spectacle and discovery that keeps customers coming back. They‘re not just stores – they‘re full-fledged destinations. And in an era of endless online scrolling, that‘s a powerful differentiator.
The Big Picture: Fun IKEA Store Facts
To wrap up our tour of the largest IKEA stores, I‘ll leave you with some entertaining facts and stats that further illustrate the epic scale of these retail giants:
- Globally, 12 IKEA stores are bigger than the "Friends Arena", Sweden‘s national soccer stadium (source).
- If you walked the perimeter of the Burbank store, you would cover over a mile in distance (1.2 miles to be exact). Hope you‘ve got comfortable shoes!
- The Schaumburg location has enough railings throughout the store for a 600-foot rollercoaster track. Sadly, they haven‘t built one…yet.
- IKEA sold $1.8 billion worth of food in 2017, including over 1 billion meatballs globally. That‘s 2.8 meatballs for every person in the US (source)!
- The Burbank location‘s 565 parking spots are shaded by solar panels that produce enough energy to power 100 homes (source).
I hope this guide has given you a greater appreciation for just how big the biggest IKEA‘s in the US (and around the world) really are. These stores are a marvel of modern retail, combining colossal scale with smart, customer-centric design. Whether you‘re a regular IKEA shopper or just an interested retail observer, the top 10 US locations are definitely worth experiencing first-hand.
So what do you think – are you up for tackling one of America‘s largest IKEAs? It may seem overwhelming, but just remember: getting lost in IKEA is half the fun! With a little creativity and an adventurous spirit, you can turn that big blue box into your own personal retail playground. Happy exploring!
