Mall officials are “beyond excited” with a new 66,000 square foot IKEA furniture store that is set to open in the fall at a portion of the former Sears building at Gurnee Mills.
The Swedish-founded furniture giant announced on Tuesday that it would be expanding its retail footprint with four more stores in the U.S. this year.
The new IKEA stores are slated to open in Culver City, California; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Gurnee Mills in Gurnee; and Fort Collins, Colorado.
The four stores join six other locations that will open this year for a total of 10 new stores in the U.S for 2026.
Gurnee Mills Director of Marketing & Business Development Kelsey Castrejon said that IKEA will be a tenant of the mall and will begin occupying a 66,000 square foot space, or the last 3rd, of the former Sears building starting next month.
They are scheduled to open in the fall.
“We are beyond excited about IKEA joining our diverse retail mix here at Gurnee Mills,” Castrejon said.
Gurnee Mayor Thomas Hood called the new store a “great win” for Gurnee and its surrounding areas.
“IKEA is a great win for Gurnee, Lake County and beyond,” the mayor said.
Hood called the new store and the mall a “great economic engine for Gurnee and beyond.”
A big thank you goes out to the Gurnee Mills team, the Village and IKEA for making this possible. Just this past year alone, Gurnee has seen the addition of Texas Roadhouse, Ashley Furniture, Primark, Skyzone Trampoline Park, Off the Rax, Round One and more,” Hood said.
“Come out and experience all of the entertainment, retail shopping and restaurants that Gurnee Mills has to offer.”
IKEA currently has a little over 50 locations in the U.S.
The Gurnee Mills location would make it the third IKEA in Illinois.
IKEA U.S. reported $5.3 billion in total sales – which inlcudes $1.9 billion in e-commerce – and welcomed nearly 61 million visitors to its stores and over 457 million visitors online in fiscal year 2025.
“FY25 was a year of meaningful connection and growth despite a challenging external environment,” IKEA U.S. Interim CEO Rob Olson said.
“We strengthened our ability to serve customers through new store formats, digital innovation and expanded rewards, all while reinforcing our commitment to communities and the environment. Looking ahead to FY26, we will build on this momentum, focusing on continued investment in the U.S. to make IKEA more affordable, accessible and sustainable,” Olson added.