Care for a road trip to San Marcos, TX, half-way between San Antonio and Austin?
Could be worth the trip because that’s where you’ll find the newest Ikea store in the country and one that represents the giant chain’s latest merchandising format. When you mention Ikea to most people, they think of its massive 500,000-square-feet stores featuring a maze-like floorplan, warehouses stacked to the ceiling with merchandise ready to be taken home and assembled and, of course, those meatballs.
But this new Ikea store is something different. At only 35,000 square feet, the store focuses on “local living solutions” with merchandise specifically tailored to the local community. The store, located at 917 SH-80 N in the San Mar Plaza shopping center, is a big departure for Ikea, which is the largest seller of home furnishings products in the country with 52 locations.
“We are committed to enhancing the customer experience by improving our store formats for greater convenience, making delivery more affordable and ensuring better connectivity with our customers in their daily lives,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO and chief sustainability officer of Ikea U.S. “The opening of Ikea San Marcos exemplifies our strategy of developing smaller, more accessible urban store formats in this journey towards a more connected and accessible Ikea experience for the many.”
The store, which opened this spring, offers over 2,500 products on display with 2,000 of them available for immediate purchase, ready to be taken home or delivered.
“I’m beyond excited to welcome customers at Ikea San Marcos this spring,” said Keena Garcia, market manager for the retailer. “No more trekking through that notorious I-35 traffic — now you can enjoy Ikea and our inspiring home design with less hassle.”
Time to punch up Google Maps?