IKEA to expand Round Rock store

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) - IKEA, the worldwide home furnishing retailer, announced Wednesday that it will add nearly 54,000 square feet to its Round Rock store.

The 252,000-square-foot Round Rock location, which opened November 2006, will grow to the new size of approximately 306,000 square feet.

Construction will begin this month, with an expected completion of summer 2012. The store will remain open and operational during construction.

Additions include:

• Extending the self-serve furniture area where shoppers collect flat-packed furniture
• Relocating customer service functions to the newly built part of the store
• Constructing a three-level parking structure to offset spaces eliminated by the expansion

“ IKEA is thrilled with the success of IKEA Round Rock," store manager Gerd Diewald said in a statement. "But, as its customer base and sales continue to grow – along with the product assortment we offer – the size of the store’s warehouse capacity now is less than ideal."

Diewald said the expansion will increase the store's inventory, which will result in transport savings continually passed on to customers.

IKEA has two other Texas stores in Houston and Dallas.