IKEA Round Rock store to open months ahead of schedule

Austin Business Journal - June 9, 2006

 Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA is moving up the opening of its Round Rock store's opening to this fall.

The store's opening was originally set for spring 2007. Significant construction progress at the site has speeded up the opening at the southeast corner of I-35 and University Boulevard.

"That's fantastic news," Round Rock Mayor Nyle Maxwell says. "It shows how rapidly projects can move forward in Round Rock. We pride ourselves on being able to move quickly and responsibly on plan and construction approvals."

Just last month, Round Rock Premium Outlets announced they would be opening sooner than originally projected as well.

"For the City, that means sales tax revenue that helps pay for needed additional police officers and firefighters and street improvements comes in sooner rather than later, and that benefits the entire community," Maxwell says.

This will be IKEA's third store in Texas, joining locations in Houston and Frisco.

In addition to 10,000 exclusively designed items, the IKEA in Round Rock will feature four model homes, 50 room settings, a supervised children's play area, and a 250-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon platters.

The 21.5-acre site in Round Rock will include a 252,000-square-foot IKEA store that will employ about 300 employees.