On Monday morning, IKEA opened its new, 330,540 square foot Vancouver Customer Distribution Centre in rural south-east Richmond.
Situated at 7031 York Road, near to No. 8 and Blundell roads, the facility is a first for IKEA in Western Canada.
The Swedish company said the opening will “further enable IKEA to have its products in the right place, closer to its customers, while also providing increased capacity for future growth.”
The move, according to Marsha Smith, IKEA Canada president, is an “important step as IKEA Canada continues its transformation journey to become the leading multichannel home furnishings retailer.
“By optimizing our distribution networks, we ensure IKEA is fit for long-term growth, delivering a more enjoyable and convenient shopping experience for our customers in Western Canada, both today and in the future.”
The centre will supply IKEA Canada’s Richmond, Coquitlam, Calgary and Edmonton stores, its Collection Points in Nanaimo, Victoria and Kelowna, home deliveries throughout B.C. and Alberta, as well as more than half of home deliveries in the Yukon and Northwest Territories.
Markets served by the new centre, said IKEA, will see “significantly shorter delivery lead times.”
The new centre is home to approximately 100 new workers, in a variety of functions including logistics, human resources, safety and security and operations.
The new Vancouver location is IKEA’s third customer distribution centre in Canada. The retailer also operates facilities in the Montreal and Toronto areas.