A new IKEA store is opening a popular mall in Chicago’s northern suburbs, but this one will be a bit different than the rest.
The Swedish furniture and home furnings retailer, known for its sprawling stores, will open a “new format store” at Gurnee Mills Mall in 2026, according to an announcement from the company. The new, 66,000 square-foot store, opening at 6136 W. Grand Ave., is part of a rollout of 10 stores set to open across the country this year.
Compared to IKEA’s two other Illinois stores, 66,000 square-feet is a bit smaller.
In 2005, Ikea opened a 310,000 square-foot store in suburban Bolingbrook. IKEA’s first Illinois location, which opened in Schaumburg in 1998, at over 400,000 square-feet, was at the time the company’s largest store in North America.
In 2025, Ikea opened 14 new stores, including two new “small-format” ones in Arcadia, California; and San Marcos, Texas, the announcement said. Nine “Plan & Order Points” were also launched in Charlotte, North Carolina; Roseville, Minnesota; and in Ontario and Colma in California.
“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,” Rob Olson, Interim CEO of IKEA U.S. said in the release.
According to the announcement, the Gurnee store will include 3,000 immediate take-home items and approximately 600 small furniture pieces. The store will also have variety of iconic IKEA food, including meatballs, plant balls, hot dogs, veggie dogs, plant dogs, cinnamon buns and more.
The Gurnee Mills store is set to open in the fall of 2026, according to a company spokesperson.
A full list of where the new IKEA stores are opening in 2026 can be found below:
- IKEA Culver City, California
- IKEA Tulsa, Oklahoma
- IKEA Gurnee Mills, Illinois
- IKEA Fort Collins, Colorado
- IKEA Huntsville, Alabama
- IKEA University Park, Texas
- IKEA Phoenix, Arizona
- IKEA Rockwall, Texas
- IKEA Chantilly/Dulles, Washington D.C.
- IKEA Houston-Webster, Texas
