Old IKEA store is nearly history
Excavators are chipping away at the old IKEA location on Sweden Way in one of the largest demolition projects in Richmond’s history.
The 201,285-square-foot building housed the Swedish furniture store until a new location opened on an adjacent site in April on Jacombs.
On Thursday morning, workers sorted steel from concrete rubble by hand as heavy machinery continued to tear apart portions of the building that once housed 31 idyllic room settings and a warehouse of furniture in need of assembly.
Over half the building is already down.
IKEA Canada spokesperson Madeleine Löwenborg-Frick suggested the land will provide additional parking for the new store.
According to a city hall development report, most of the 4-hectare (9.9-acre) site is reserved for more parking stalls, while one-fifth of the land—fronting Bridgeport Road—is being sold for future retail and commercial use.
City spokesperson Ted Townsend noted some additional land will be dedicated to minor road improvements.
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