IKEA in Omaha???

djc311 · Post by **djc311** » Thu May 25, 2006 10:52 pm

While setting up a bank account the other day for our second store, I overheard someone mentioning that IKEA has made plans to locate in Omaha. Also, the same person was heard saying that Nebraska Furniture Mart had an emergency meeting to discuss the new competition, and are supposedly going to build an addition to go up against IKEA.

Which, BTW, I hadn't even heard of IKEA until about 6 months ago & my wife & I drove to Minneapolis to shop there. What a freakin' cool place! I don't see how the Mart could all of a sudden compete with such a stylish and modern-type decor place.

Has anyone else heard of such a rumor?

D

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Thu May 25, 2006 11:35 pm

WOW I hope your correct.

w8ing · Post by **w8ing** » Fri May 26, 2006 3:07 am

OMG! I would die... and go broke shopping. I went to the one in Minneapolis in February and I loved it.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Fri May 26, 2006 4:43 am

I'll believe that one when I hear it from the cryptic rumor department.

IKEA thus far has only located in the VERY largest of metro markets. These are huge stores which require ALOT of traffic. It's one thing for a regional 'monopoly' like NFM, which specializes in products across the board from electronics to appliances to furniture of all types. IKEA however is a very narrow focus of entry level contemporary furnishings. Frankly, I can't see NFM being particularly concerned about them hurting their business, aside from that tiny contemporary section they have in the basement level.

On the other hand... we are by far the smallest metro in the lower 48 to have a Swedish Consulate. Hmm.

Send your inquiries/pleas to omaha@consulateofsweden.org

djc311 · Post by **djc311** » Fri May 26, 2006 5:31 am

I was totally blown away by hearing the information as well. After looking into IKEA's locations & other future stores in the US, they tend to place their stores right outside of large metro markets. For example, they're puting one in Utah, but not directly in Salt Lake City. As well as in Florida, but not right in the heart of Miami or Tampa.

In any case, I'd be one more person to add to the "poor bo'" list once they arrive. I couldn't believe the assortment of stuff they have in their stores. The place is totally amazing & ridiculously inexpensive for the quality of the merchandise. Our second store looks like an IKEA catalog threw up everywhere, but it looks awesome!

When I overheard the rumor I also did take note that they would be looking out west, maybe on the edge of Omaha, to try & intercept the Lincoln market as well. Something that the Mart doesn't quite cater to, although Omaha isn't that large to make the drive that inconvenient.

I find it quite odd that the conversation I picked up seemed to be pretty specific, but then again, who knows???

D

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Fri May 26, 2006 5:34 am

Wouldn't the NFM folks be interested in an IKEA locating in KC as well? Perhaps we're mistaking which city was being talk about here. Just being my unpopular, realistic self. I guess if the people you overheard were specifically talking about Lincoln as well though, I suppose talk was indeed about Omaha.

Thanks for sharing this though dj. This is the stuff which keeps us returning each day.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Fri May 26, 2006 7:08 am

My my..

Omaha getting a IKEA would be a major coup d'état ..

MAJOR..And I'd love to see it happen

..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Fri May 26, 2006 7:38 am

I have thought an IKEA in Omaha makes perfect sense since I moved to Mnpls in 97 and first encountered one. Plus, a major player giving NFM some competition is nothing but good for all parties. I have a hard time believing IKEA management and bean counters wouldn't take notice of NFM's traffic and attempt to glom on.

The "affordable" modern/contemporary furniture space is sorely lacking in Omaha. Elan is nice (shame they pulled out after the Butternut fire), but WOW you're paying for it, and Eclipse just doesn't quite seem to have all their ducks in a row.

-Big E

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Fri May 26, 2006 9:12 am

On April 26, 2006, I spoke with the Director of Construction, Charles Keller at IKEA. In our conversation, he mentioned that IKEA is focusing on the larger markets before coming to Omaha area. He could not answer the question WHEN!

I was just in Chicago, and totally agree that the stores are totally totally awesome. Very Reasonable, neat stuff. For what it is worth. Thanks

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Fri May 26, 2006 9:46 am

I go back and forth with IKEA. While their products are very cool looking, they don't hold up very well. They typically only survive one move.

Regardless, I'd love to have one in Omaha.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Fri May 26, 2006 10:03 am

I didn't say I would SHOP at one (although they have cool accessories)...

-Big E

NovakOmaha · Post by **NovakOmaha** » Fri May 26, 2006 12:30 pm

djc311 wrote:...Also, the same person was heard saying that Nebraska Furniture Mart had an emergency meeting to discuss the new competition, and are supposedly going to build an addition to go up against IKEA.
D

That's the funniest thing I've read in a long time....

Just my opinion, but 1) The Mart doesn't hold emergency meetings about anything...they plan years ahead...

and 2) The Mart's competition holds emergency meetings. For example, Benchmark in KC closed shortly after the Mart opened in KC.

Apples & oranges folks...Allens, Elan, etc. do quite well in the Mart's shadow.

guy4omaha · Post by **guy4omaha** » Fri May 26, 2006 2:18 pm

From what I saw at their website, I don't think I am in their targeted audience. Looks like NFM will continue to get my business even in an IKEA comes to town.

But I did feel like I was five again living in the 60s. Looks like "new" furniture styles have come full circle since then. Couldn't tell the whole lineup from the web, but if they sell TVs do they come with rabbit ears.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Fri May 26, 2006 2:34 pm

Most of their furniture is not what I would call of the highest quality, but it does give people an affordable option to wicker and blonde maple laminate. It ain't for everyone, but neither is The Mart.

-Big E

djc311 · Post by **djc311** » Fri May 26, 2006 7:36 pm

[/quote]That's the funniest thing I've read in a long time....

Just my opinion, but 1) The Mart doesn't hold emergency meetings about anything...they plan years ahead...

and 2) The Mart's competition holds emergency meetings. For example, Benchmark in KC closed shortly after the Mart opened in KC.

Apples & oranges folks...Allens, Elan, etc. do quite well in the Mart's shadow.[/quote]

Ummm, the Mart is certainly well prepared for many things, but quite honestly, they don't get everything hammered out well in advance. For instance, the electronic store remodel was supposed to be done over a year ago- not started, but done a year ago. They also underbuilt the KC store by 1/2 for warehousing space. So, even though they have Buffet in their pockets, they don't always hit the nail on the head everytime.

As for IKEA, if and when they do come to Omaha, darn right the Mart would have meetings over it. They don't compete with IKEA, and granted the customers a lot of the time might be different, no one here in our area offers the type of products they have.

Plus, look at how many Best Buys are being planned for the Omaha area. At least another 3 over the next 5 years. You don't think that makes the Mart squirm? The Mart will always be the mart, but Omaha is becoming more and more of a convenience town, not a destination city. All of the folks who live in Midtown can argue that one with me, but when you look out west, who do you think keeps the doors open at stores like BB in Village Pointe? People who live at Fairacres or Dundee???

And, BTW, when it comes to quality, I'd take an IKEA piece of furniture of similar cost over an NFM particle board pos anyday.

Greg S · Post by **Greg S** » Sat May 27, 2006 8:17 am

I had a friend that used to work for the ad agency that had the NFM account. I'm not sure if they have emergency meetings but they did have something similar to that when Best Buy announced they were coming to Omaha. They did all kinds of things, focus groups and such to prepare. Initially they thought they would drive Best Buy out in 6 months. Obviously that did not happen. Best Buy made NFM better, they started carrying computers, cd's, dvds and created the Mega Mart. NFM does fine but Best Buy is still thriving in Omaha.

NFM may have knocked Benchmark out of KC but they failed to knock Best Buy out of Omaha.

Greg

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Sat May 27, 2006 8:30 am

Competition is always good in the marketplace. Always.

-Big E

bettin · Post by **bettin** » Sat May 27, 2006 10:49 am

The quality of furniture at IKEA is not that good.

There is a reason IKEA is known as IKRAPA here in Seattle.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:42 pm

Posted in another Forum:

ihartfield wrote:I noticed IKEA ran an ad last evening around 10pm or so on channel 7. I am curious why they would do this. Maybe they are testing the market???? [/u][/b]

agibson95 wrote:I have heard chatter of IKEA coming to the Omaha area, but I assumed it was just wishful thinking.[/b]

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:52 pm

Like the Jonathon Coulton song says:

<qoute>Long ago in days of yore
It all began with a god named Thor
There were Vikings and boats
And some plans for a furniture store
It’s not a bodega, it’s not a mall
And they sell things for apartments smaller than mine
As if there were apartments smaller than mine

Ikea: just some oak and some pine and a handful of Norsemen
Ikea: selling furniture for college kids and divorced men
Everyone has a home
But if you don’t have a home you can buy one there

So rent a car or take the bus
Lay your cash down and put your trust
In the land where the furniture folds to a much smaller size
Billy the bookcase says hello
And so does a table whose name is Ingo
And the chair is a ladder-back birch but his friends call him Karl

Ikea: just some oak and some pine and a handful of Norsemen
Ikea: selling furniture for college kids and divorced men
Everyone has a home
But if you don’t have a home you can buy one there

Ikea: plywood, brushed steel
Ikea: meatballs, tasty
Ikea: Allen wrenches
All of them for free
All of them for me

I’m sorry I said Ikea sucks
I just bought a table for 60 bucks
And a chair and a lamp
And a shelf and some candles for you
I was a doubter just like you
Till I saw the American dream come true
In New Jersey, they got a goddamned Swedish parade

Ikea: just some oak and some pine and a handful of Norsemen
Ikea: selling furniture for college kids and divorced men
Everyone has a home
But if you don’t have a home you can buy one there </quote>

Ikea is low-end stuff, but it looks decent (to the college kid aesthetic) and lasts long enough. I still have some lingering from my student days.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:03 pm

Swift wrote:I go back and forth with IKEA. While their products are very cool looking, they don't hold up very well. They typically only survive one move.

Regardless, I'd love to have one in Omaha.

Totally agree. Â Depends on what you buy, of course. We've got about a dozen pieces of IKEA furniture and half of our stuff has something or other broken on it. The other half is holding up pretty well -- like the computer desk I'm typing this from. Â Our entertainment unit, on the other hand, has a major drawer malfunction.

flyOMA · Post by **flyOMA** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:02 pm

I like most of IKEA's stuff. Â Granted, my wife and I like modern and contemporary furniture. Â We actually completely re-modeled our kitchen with IKEA cabinets a few years ago and are extremely pleased. Â Not only does it look good, it has held up perfectly. Â We also saved close to $4,000 compared to anything we were looking at in Omaha. Â 8)

That is the one hang up with Omaha's furniture stores, they have nothing but the status quo. Â If you want to get affordable contemporary furniture, you need to shop outside the Omaha market. Â Elan has nice stuff, but they are so outrageously priced it's not even worth looking at (with no competition, I suppose they can do that).

If Omaha could get a Crate & Barrel (with a true furniture section), Room & Board, or IKEA, I would be tickled pink - and very poor.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:44 pm

Can you say IKEA at SOUTHPORT next to Cablea's? Â ICAN

djc311 · Post by **djc311** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:55 pm

I put a call into the North America PR director today. I'll see if he'll actually return my call. But, I basically want to know if they have any plans at all on the plate for our state? I did a cruise through IKEA's USA website tonight, and they are building a major distribution center in Illinois to support their midwest locations. Of course, we have Minneapolis, Chicago area, and one coming to Ohio, but couldn't we see one in Omaha

Â ?

djc311 · Post by **djc311** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:15 pm

OK - here's the information I received directly from IKEA today regarding their expansion plans into the midwest. First, at this time, they DO NOT have plans on the table to enter the Omaha or Nebraska market. He informed that they typically will not consider a location in a market with less than 2 million people. And, obviously, we're not there, even counting all of the metro area + Lincoln.

Secondly, yes, they are building a distribution center Joliet, IL by 2009 to service their midwest stores. However, he said that they have no plans to locate any other stores in the midwest market until that distribution center is completed.

Therefore, that should clear up any rumors for a while on the possibility of one coming to Omaha. Although I'd love to see it happen, we obviously don't fit within their parameters of expansion at this time. And, if they keep their pre-req's to include 2 million ppl plus, it will be a loooooong time before we hit that, especially in the Omaha area alone.

D

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:30 pm

Well then I don't get why you would spend thousands of dollars of advertising in an area you have no plans to locate in. Even if you are trying to generate on-line business, IKEA is not a company that would fit that parameter very well. A potential buyer, in the market for IKEA merchandise, probably should visit one of their locations instead, speaking from first-hand experience. I am not going to order a bookcase, bedroom set, or kitchen table off the Internet. If I was looking to buy pillows, household utensils, or other small items, I would probably head out to Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Kohl's first, which God knows we have plenty of around town. Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't buy that they haven't even looked at Omaha if they are running ads. Sure, they might not be locating here soon, but at least they have considered it. Oh well, its no hair of my chin, but it just seemed odd to me. Thoughts...[/i]

Post by **nebugeater** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:34 pm

Anonymous wrote:Well then I don't get why you would spend thousands of dollars of advertising in an area you have no plans to locate in. Even if you are trying to generate on-line business, IKEA is not a company that would fit that parameter very well. A potential buyer, in the market for IKEA merchandise, probably should visit one of their locations instead, speaking from first-hand experience. I am not going to order a bookcase, bedroom set, or kitchen table off the Internet. If I was looking to buy pillows, household utensils, or other small items, I would probably head out to Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Kohl's first, which God knows we have plenty of around town. Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't buy that they haven't even looked at Omaha if they are running ads. Sure, they might not be locating here soon, but at least they have considered it. Oh well, its no hair of my chin, but it just seemed odd to me. Thoughts...[/i]

Do we know they were not national ads?

Post by **Brad** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:36 pm

There are people from Omaha that drive to Minneapolis to go to IKEA. Â We had people that wanted to pick stuff up at the one in Dallas for them.

Its a great store for young people that are trying to get out on their own and don't have a lot of money but want to ditch the dorm room stuff.

ricko · Post by **ricko** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 12:18 am

you're right

IKEA's a fun store and great for 'not too expensive' but stylish contemporary furniture---partially furnished a condo from IKEA when I was lean on cash---looked great and still have a few pieces left over. Â They also have great accessories, kitchen stuff and small appliances. Â Wasn't the best quality stuff (especially if you have active kids) but it kept me furnished for a decade or so. Â I later traded up (same scandanavian style) at a local place (in the dc area) called Scan Furniture. Â I think Omaha has something like it (or did) in a strip mall immediately east of the Westroads. Â It was called Scandanavian something or other. Â If it's still there it's worth checking out.

Chi_iowan · Post by **Chi_iowan** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:53 am

I'm sure the reason you saw ads on local television was they were either included in a regional package deal put together by Hearst, or they were simply advertising to drive people to their web site. Â I live in Chicago and I rarely see TV ads for IKEA here, due to costs, but they draw people from a 200-mile radius, easily.

And just because they were advertising on the local news, doesn't mean anything. Â They wouldn't be spending that much. Â I work for an ad agency and it may surprise you, but you can advertise locally on newscasts for a couple hundred dollars a spot. Â Well worth the investment. Â Especially in a small market like Omaha, Â TV ad rates on morning and noon news can sometimes be $30-50 a spot.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 5:59 pm

Anyone hear anything about IKEA looking at Nebraska. Â Over heard some talk about a BIG announcement coming involving IKEA and La Vista.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:12 pm

I will not spend one more minute considering this as anything other than someone's drug induced fantasy until they can show me where IKEA has already gone into a market in the U.S. as small as Omaha.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:20 am

Does Detroit or Dallas have one per another topic on the forum?

Post by **Brad** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:33 am

Anonymous wrote:Does Detroit or Dallas have one per another topic on the forum?

I have been to the One in Dallas several times. Â Its actually in Frisco, TX, but that's like saying its in LaVista.

NovakOmaha · Post by **NovakOmaha** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:04 am

Brad wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Does Detroit or Dallas have one per another topic on the forum?
I have been to the One in Dallas several times. Its actually in Frisco, TX, but that's like saying its in LaVista.

The Detroit on is in Canton, which is like saying it's in LaVista. Â I've been to it a few times.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:47 pm

nativeomahan wrote:I will not spend one more minute considering this as anything other than someone's drug induced fantasy until they can show me where IKEA has already gone into a market in the U.S. as small as Omaha.

Why would somebody fantasize for Ikea? Â :?

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Sat Apr 24, 2010 12:05 am

Anonymous wrote:Why would somebody fantasize for Ikea? :?

What's wrong with extra competition?

nebport5 · Post by **nebport5** » Sat Apr 24, 2010 11:59 am

I've had furniture from both. Â The Mart furniture I still have, where as the Ikea stuff is in a landfill somewhere. Â If something doesn't last a low price isn't low enough.

Anyway, I'd rather buy local and I guess to each their own is right.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sat Apr 24, 2010 1:14 pm

I'd rather buy local, too. However, don't kid yourself. The Mart isn't really any more local than any other big box that imports their stuff from all over the place.

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Sat Apr 24, 2010 5:31 pm

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:I'd rather buy local, too. However, don't kid yourself. The Mart isn't really any more local than any other big box that imports their stuff from all over the place.

That's exactly what I was thinking. Â Unless the owners/shareholders live in Omaha, the only local support is for the employees, which isn't much different regardless of the chain.

Omaha Forums

IKEA in Omaha???

IKEA in Omaha???

Re: IKEA in Omaha???

Re: IKEA in Omaha???

TV Ads