IKEA to move from Aldershot to Walkers Line. Councillor Craven considering grief counseling.

By Pepper Parr

On the move.  Watch for the moving sale.
On the move. Watch for the moving sale.

BURLINGTON, ON March 4, 2011  –  It is going to be the sale of the century when Ikea prepares to move from its current location on Plains Road in Aldershot country to a new location on the North Service Road just west of Walker’s Line on a 25 acre parcel of land.

The hope is to have shovels in the ground in by the end of the year and hold the opening sometime in 2013.  Before the Pier opens?

Ikea has outgrown its current location and has submitted an application to the city along with plans that will see a new retail store, warehouse and the Canadian corporate heads office at the new site which is currently an empty field.

The new set up will be 70% bigger than the old one which hopefully means a larger cafeteria and less wait for great value meals.

On the upside from an economic perspective is the 437 jobs that will be retained plus 108 new jobs.  The move will preserve the corporate headquarters in Burlington and give IKEA great QEW visibility.  So don’t expect much in the way of opposition from either the planning department or council when the application to change the zoning and make a change to the Official Plan.

The Burlington location is one of five IKEA stores in Ontario and, according to Tourism Burlington, the store is the #1 tourist attraction in Halton.  I find that kind of hard to believe – but if you count shopping as a tourist attraction they might be right.

The new location is going to be massive: 428,500 square feet.  The development is estimated to come in at $60 million.

The existing IKEA store is in Ward 1 where Rick Craven rules the roost. He said: “It is with mixed feelings that I must advise you that IKEA has submitted a development application to the City which would result in the store’s relocation from Aldershot to a site in east Burlington, at 3455 North Service Road.   Been a tough period of time for Craven.  He wasn’t able to get the Tiger Cats into Aldershot and now he’s losing his biggest retail operation.  Craven assures the city that the IKEA location  is an excellent place to do business and he is hoping that the Burlington Economic Development Corporation(BEDC)  will find a rabbit in a hat somewhere and recruit a new store or office to the Aldershot site. 

The new location will not tie IKEA all that tightly to any one community which is unfortunate because they have been good corporate citizens and contributed significantly to the welfare of the Aldershot community.  Their moving will not be a shot in the arm to the Aldershot BIA.

What is now an empty field on North Service Road just west of Walkers Line is to be the new home for a $60 million 428,500 sq ft IKEA facility to open in 2013
What is now an empty field on North Service Road just west of Walkers Line is to be the new home for a $60 million 428,500 sq ft IKEA facility to open in 2013

IKEA hopes to have started construction by the end of this year and open the new facility in 2013.  Gosh – IKEA will be open and operational – think we can have the Pier open the same week.

The bureaucrats said their usual.  Mark Gregory Chair of the BEDC opined that “The expansion of IKEA at this Burlington site is vitally important to our city’s economy.  We urge City Council and staff to give serious consideration to their proposal and assure IKEA’s future in our community”.  Gregory went on to say” IKEA is one of Burlington’s top employers.  It has a major impact on our local economy.  In addition, their presence in the city anchors the civic efforts to promote the city as a competitive head-office location with attractive amenities including ‘big city’ retailers such as IKEA.”

Kyle Benham, Executive Director of the BEDC pointed out that IKEA creates the type of jobs that are “a great fit with the growth objectives contained in our economic development strategy.”  Benham is also thanking his lucky stars that IKEA didn’t look elsewhere for a new location.  They would have been a great catch for any number of communities along the 401 or the QEW.

Make a note on your calendar – sometime in 2013 – great sale at IKEA – but don’t wait till then to shop.

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