MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It looks like Memphis will remain home to the state’s only IKEA store after the company confirmed its plans to scrap a new location in Nashville.
IKEA says they are shaking things up with how they do things and it just makes more sense to focus on online sales, but if customers do want the real thing, they can still grab a shopping cart and pick up whatever they need in Memphis — which is exactly what many are doing.
“It’s great for Memphis. You’ve got your only IKEA within hundreds of miles,” shopper Bailey Moll said.
And it looks like that’s how things will be for a while as the home furnishing giant shifts its emphasis towards online shopping.
“We know the Nashville customer is a loyal customer and we are glad we still get to call them our customer,” said Trish Bevering, IKEA’s Memphis store manager.
An Ikea store was headed to Nashville but on Wednesday a spokesperson for the company said it won’t happen — admitting it was a difficult decision to make
and thanking the city for their support.
As for the Memphis location, Bevering says they are in the perfect place to serve anyone looking for a deal.
“We get people from Little Rock, Arkansas, Mississippi, Nashville. We are in a great location off of I-40 and it makes us super accessible to our customers.”
Moll says driving to Memphis to check things off his list makes the most sense.
“We are from Little Rock. We either have to drive to Dallas or Memphis, and Memphis is a lot easier to get to, and better barbecue.”
He says while Nashville won’t get its IKEA after all, business looks like it’s still booming in Memphis.
“It stinks for Nashville but it’s good for Memphis.”
As part of that online design, the store is rolling out their Click and Collect feature. It allows customers to order online and show up and the store to pick up their items.
Ikea says their plan to stop moving forward with the nashville store had nothing to do with doubts regarding the market and economy in the area.
