The new IKEA store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people.
The largest IKEA store in the United States is ready to open its doors in Burbank to residents throughout the San Fernando Valley.
Construction crews and employees of the outgoing store in the Burbank Town Center have been busy the past two months putting the finishing touches on the new 456,000-square-foot store at 805 S. San Fernando Blvd. before its grand opening on Wednesday.
To commemorate the opening of the Swedish retailer’s largest store in the country, several pieces of furniture will be given away Wednesday morning.
Ikea expansion public affairs spokesperson Joseph Roth shows off the cavernous new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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Ikea employee Monica DeClercq puts on hundreds of price tags on items at the new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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The new Ikea store will have every item the Swedish store sells available at the Burbank store, even more items than are available through the website or catalogue, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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Ikea expansion public affairs spokesperson Joseph Roth shows the best selling item, packs of uncented tealights, which will also be available at the new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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Ikea expansion public affairs spokesperson Joseph Roth shows off the cavernous new Ikea store warehouse in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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The cavernous new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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Breakfast, lunch and dinner items will be available at the new Ikea store’s restaurant, in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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Hot food like the Swedish meatball plate will be available at the new Ikea store’s restaurant in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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Ikea’s new store will replace the old one nearby, in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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Everything is almost ready at the new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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There will be a wide variety of items for children at the new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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There is a wide variety of kitchen-related items at the new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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The sample rooms look much more like they would at a real home, at the new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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Real and plastic plants and containers are available at the new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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Lamps of all types can be found at the new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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The sample rooms look much more like they would at a real home, at the new Ikea store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people. In comparison, the old Burbank store was half the size and this one seats three times more hungry customers.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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The new IKEA store in Burbank on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The store, on San Fernando Road, will open on Feb. 8 and it includes 456,000 sq. ft. of space, including 1,700 parking spots and a restaurant that seats 600 people.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
The outgoing Burbank IKEA opened in 1990 and was the company’s first location in California. In honor of the 26 years it has been in the Media City, the retailer will give away Landskrona sofas, which retail $789 each, to the first 26 people in line. The next 100 people will receive a Poang armchair.
Customers can line up at the store beginning at 6 a.m. on Wednesday before the store’s opening at 9 a.m.
In December, there was still plenty of electrical work to be finished and just a handful of displays were organized. However, during a walk-through on Wednesday, both floors of the store were almost fully furnished and the warehouse was nearly completely stocked with about twice the inventory than the former store.
The new store boasts several new features that the old location did not, such as 1,700 parking spaces that are located at-level and under the building. It also has a larger restaurant that can seat up to 600 people, said Joseph Roth, an IKEA spokesman.
The restaurant in the original store could seat up to 185 customers.
Additionally, the warehouse is nearly double in size and will allow the store to hold more inventory, which was an issue for the former site, Roth said.
The showroom is also much larger — 77,500 square feet — allowing employees to put up more displays than they could at the old location, Roth said.
There are also updated display rooms, which are better designed to look more like an actual living space rather than a white box with furniture in it.
“It makes it easier for the customer to envision themselves in that living situation,” Roth said.
Anthony Clark Carpio was a reporter with the Burbank Leader. He joined the Times Community News staff on New Year’s Eve 2012 and covered everything from the City Council to community events. He has a journalism degree from Cal State Northridge. Before reporting in Burbank, he was a reporter with the Huntington Beach Independent and a freelance reporter for the Pasadena Sun, the La Cañada Valley Sun and the Santa Clarita Signal.
