IKEA: Construction on Joliet Distribution Facility Could Start This Fall

Swedish home furnishing giant IKEA on Thursday announced that it has submitted its final plans for a 1.4-million-square-foot distribution center in Joliet, and construction could begin as early as this fall.

The company plans to build on 72 acres in Joliet’s Laraway Crossings Business Park. According to IKEA, the company purchased the land and received approval for the project back in 2007.

If the updated plans get the City of Joliet’s approval, construction could begin this fall, and the facility could be fully operational by summer 2017, IKEA said in a news release. The facility would reportedly serve at least 10 IKEA stores throughout the Midwest.

“We have known for some time now that Joliet was the perfect location for our distribution hub in the Midwest, so we are pleased our Midwestern presence has grown to the point where we need this terminal to be up and running in 2017,” IKEA U.S. CFO Rob Olson said in a news release. “We appreciate the City of Joliet’s cooperation and patience that allowed us to plan long-term and reach this point today.”

IKEA, which has two Chicagoland stores in Bolingbrook and Schaumburg, said the project will mean construction-related jobs as well as positions at the distribution center itself.