LAKELAND, Fla. — Ikea plans to open a 326,000-square-foot distribution center here early next year supporting its Tampa and Miami-area markets but with a focus on e-commerce orders from customers across the Southeast.
“As we grow our e-commerce presence, we want to provide our customers with shorter lead times and a higher-quality experience when shopping at Ikea,” Lars Petersson, Ikea U.S. president, said in a release.
“The new distribution center in Lakeland provides opportunity to optimize customer accessibility in the Southeast and allows us to continue meeting the home furnishing needs of our customers.”
The leased facility, to be located off of Allen K. Breed Highway, 28 miles from downtown Tampa, will strengthen the Top 100 company’s existing network of nine regional distribution centers, Ikea said.
The focus will be on delivering items to customers who order products online. The site will be operated by contract logistics company DHL Supply Chain, a division of Deutsche Post DHL Group.
“With nearly 1,000 suppliers in 50 countries, Ikea traditionally transports products globally to its stores through regional distribution centers,” the company said in a release. “This customer distribution center and others in the future will augment the current U.S. distribution strategy and enhance Ikea’s ability to ensure product availability for customers shopping in-store or online.
It will be the retailer’s sixth Ikea location in the state and is expected to bring 200 jobs to the area.
