PHOENIX, AZ (Headline News USA) (Copyright © 2025) — IKEA is expanding its Arizona footprint in a big way — though not all of it will feel so big.

The global furniture retailer announced it’s opening two new stores in metro Phoenix: a 75,000-square-foot location in north Phoenix and, more unusually, a 2,000-square-foot “Plan and Order” studio tucked into a Scottsdale shopping center.

Both outposts mark a shift away from IKEA’s traditional massive warehouse model, and they show the brand adapting to how people live, shop, and sprawl in the Valley.

The larger of the two will rise near Cactus Road and Tatum Boulevard, right across from the redeveloped Paradise Valley Mall site, in a space once occupied by Bed Bath & Beyond. IKEA says it expects to open doors by early 2026, bringing a condensed but still immersive experience — complete with room vignettes, 75 small furniture items, and a new Swedish Deli concept that includes dine-in meals, not just the usual meatballs-in-a-box.

“We’re really excited to bring this new format to north Phoenix,” IKEA spokesperson Javier Quiñones said in a statement reported by Arizona’s Family. “It’s about being closer to where people live and shop.”

This new approach, dubbed a “small-format store,” still covers roughly the size of a neighborhood grocery store — but that’s downright petite compared to IKEA’s mega-location in Tempe, which stretches over 300,000 square feet.

What’s even smaller? The new “Plan and Order Point” that quietly opened in Scottsdale’s Promenade shopping center back in April. That space doesn’t carry any furniture to grab and go. Instead, it’s more like an IKEA design studio — a minimalist spot where shoppers can sit down with staff to plan out bigger-ticket home projects like kitchens, closets, or bathrooms, then place orders for home delivery or pickup elsewhere.

This marks IKEA’s first-ever use of the “Plan and Order” model in Arizona. “We’re offering more ways to shop,” said IKEA U.S. VP of Customer Fulfillment Javier Quiñones in a statement to AZFamily. “Whether it’s a full-sized store, a smaller footprint, or a planning studio, our goal is to meet customers where they are.”

Both moves speak to broader trends shaping how Phoenix grows. The Valley’s booming population and retail decentralization have pushed national brands to rethink the one-size-fits-all approach. IKEA, traditionally a destination store that required hours of commitment and a willing trunk, now seems focused on convenience and flexibility — offering tailored layouts closer to home.

The Phoenix area has become a test bed of sorts for IKEA’s U.S. expansion strategy. With the Tempe store still anchoring the East Valley, the north Phoenix and Scottsdale additions effectively bracket the region — a triangulation that seems to be all about proximity and market penetration.

It also doesn’t hurt that both new stores are being dropped into prime retail real estate. The north Phoenix site is part of a larger comeback for Paradise Valley Mall, which is being reinvented into a mixed-use destination featuring offices, residential units, and restaurants. The Scottsdale spot, nestled in The Promenade, sits squarely in the city’s high-income corridor.

In an era when consumers increasingly shop online — including for furniture — IKEA’s decision to go smaller and more local is as much about strategy as it is square footage.

The company hasn’t hinted at a fourth Valley location yet, but given the city’s growth curve, no one would be surprised if another dot shows up on the IKEA map soon.

Image Credit: Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash, License: Free to use under the Unsplash License