Anticipation builds ahead of Jacksonville Ikea store's fall opening

Swedish furniture giant plans to hire more than 250 workers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Progress continues to be made in the building of the highly anticipated Ikea store off Interstate 295 and Gate Parkway, and North Florida residents will only have to be patient for a few more months until doors open this fall.

News4Jax got a hard-hat tour of the construction site on Thursday, and the signature blue panels could already be seen being installed around the building that sits on a 25-acre property just south of the St. Johns Town Center. 

Representatives for the Swedish furniture giant said the recent storms haven't stopped construction moving forward. The steel framing of the 290,000-square-foot building is already standing tall.

"There will be cash registers all the way down here as far as the eye can see," Ikea Public Affairs Manager Joseph Roth pointed out to News4Jax. 

A unique feature of Ikea's Jacksonville location is that the entire store, including a restaurant and warehouse, will all be on one level -- creating a more convenient shopping experience.

"We were able to buy enough land to, basically, spread out the store all on one level," Roth said. "We'll definitely have greater ease with regards to shopping carts and less confusion for the customers too."

And parents should take note that Ikea is kid-friendly.

"This is where the supervised children's play area will be," Roth showed News4Jax.

Parents will be able to check their children into the play area and then pick them up when they're done shopping.

There's still more construction work to be done, but shipments of cash registers and furniture were already on the way from Sweden as of Thursday.

RELATED: IKEA breaks ground on Jacksonville store

If everything goes according to plan, Ikea will open the doors of its Jacksonville stores this fall. The company will also be hiring more than 250 workers, and many positions are already posted online. 

To apply to work at Ikea, click here

There are currently four Ikea locations in Florida, but the Jacksonville store will be the first in North Florida. There are 41 Ikea stores in the U.S. and more than 300 stores worldwide.