Opening of the first IKEA store in downtown Toronto this month

Now, residents of downtown Toronto no longer have to venture outside the city center to get an in-store IKEA fix (or their famous meatballs).

The furniture retailer’s first Swedish downtown store in Canada will soon welcome customers when the IKEA Toronto Downtown – Aura store officially opens on May 25.

IKEA Toronto Downtown – Aura is the first of its kind in the country and offers the same IKEA experience we know and shamelessly love, but with new ways to shop and a unique food offering, all in a small store format. Located at the corner of Yonge and Gerrard streets, the store brings its unique take on home living to the first two floors of Aura Shopping Center (382 Yonge Street), which was acquired and redeveloped by Ingka Centers (the shopping center company of the Ingka Group).

A focus on condo-sized solutions

Customers can expect to see inspiration from the retailer’s much-loved showroom throughout the space, but with an emphasis on affordable, durable and small-scale solutions that reflect the needs of residents of Toronto (and their small living spaces). Rooms and displays are designed to represent home life in Toronto. Smart digital solutions are available throughout the store to allow customers to explore all the products, combinations and information available from IKEA Canada.

The 66,000 square foot shopping destination will feature more than 2,000 products for immediate takeout, while larger furniture will be on display and available for home delivery. IKEA Toronto Downtown – Aura will be a cashless store, where customers can scan and pay for products using the IKEA app, along with digital tools everywhere and multiple payment paths available at both levels. Ditching the traditional shopping cart, customers are encouraged to download the IKEA app and scan the items they want to buy as they browse.

Unlike other locations, the new Toronto store has no dedicated parking.

Like its larger counterparts in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), however, the store will offer a full range of convenient services, such as assembly, returns and home delivery, and customers will be able to pick up their orders online for fixed costs. at a pick-up point located on the lower level of the Aura Mall.

“Opening our first store in the heart of bustling downtown Toronto is an important step in our retail transformation to bring IKEA closer to the places where customers live, work, shop and socialize,” said Michael Ward, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA Canada. “IKEA Toronto Downtown – Aura combines our home furnishing inspiration and expertise with omnichannel retail solutions in a small store format to uniquely meet the needs of downtown residents. We are thrilled to welcome the local community to experience this new IKEA when we open on May 25th.

IKEA Toronto Downtown – Aura also offers a new food concept called Swedish Deli, offering modern, healthy meals and specialty drinks to eat, as well as on-the-go dining options and sustainably sourced essentials for cooking at home. . Naturally, IKEA’s classic Swedish meatballs will be a mainstay (as will hot dogs and frozen yogurt), along with new recipes designed to satisfy the tastes of Toronto’s diverse community.

IKEA Toronto Downtown – Aura is the 15th IKEA store in Canada and joins a growing network in the Greater Toronto Area that includes four full-size IKEA stores, 15 Penguin pick-up locations and eight design studios.

Grand opening celebrations for the retailer’s first downtown store will begin at 9:20 a.m. on May 25 at the venue, and the store will welcome its first customers at 10 a.m. During opening week, IKEA Canada will be using a digital queuing system that will soon be available at IKEA.ca/torontodowntown. Customers are encouraged to reserve a place in line prior to opening day at IKEA Toronto Downtown – Aura; walk-ups are not guaranteed a place in the queue.