IKEA will not be coming to Nashville, despite previous reports that the furniture chain was planning on bringing a store to the Tennessee city.
The company had previously
planned to bring a store to the Antioch neighborhood, but it has changed its tune as it is shifting gears with a new business model that will focus mostly on online shopping instead of its huge brick-and-mortar stores, the company’s bread and butter. The changing e-commerce landscape has pushed plenty of companies to adjust their business plan.
IKEA confirmed the plans to cancel the location’s opening in a statement issued Wednesday morning. “While this is an extremely difficult decision, we will not be moving forward with our plans to build a store in Nashville,” Ikea spokeswoman Latisha Bracy said, in an email.
“We thank the city and the developer for their understanding of this recent decision,” she added. “We appreciate the outpouring of support and excitement that our fans have expressed, and we are disappointed that we will not be able to physically join the vibrant Nashville community.”
IKEA has recently pulled out of its plan to open stores in Phoenix and Raleigh, N.C. The company said that it was not canceling plans to open a store in Nashville over doubts regarding the strength of the Middle Tennessee market and economy, according to officials.
Instead, the move comes as going online or using smaller stores or showrooms as this strategy makes more sense moving forward.
