[EXCLUSIVE] IKEA Shutters Metro Atlanta Concept Store After Just One Year in Business

After about a year in business, IKEA has closed its "Plan & order point with Pick-up" in Alpharetta.  The customer meeting point was located in Mansell Crossing, a large power center along North Point Parkway, just off Exit 8 of Georgia 400.      

The store was about 4,300 square feet, a little more than one percent of the size of the current Atlanta area IKEA in Atlantic Station.  

According to the IKEA website, the closed permanently as of Sunday, August 31.  The store opened to tremendous fanfare and publicity on August 28, 2024.    

The IKEA shop was located between existing anchors Burlington and TJ Maxx, in a space previously occupied by Casual Male XL.  The center has in recent years welcomed several new stores, including an REI in place of a former OfficeMax and more recently, Burlington in place of a former Toys R Us.     

"I'm beyond excited to welcome customers at IKEA Alpharetta this summer. No more trekking through that notorious Atlanta traffic—now you can enjoy IKEA and our inspiring home design with less hassle. The IKEA Alpharetta Plan and order point with Pick-up brings our signature styles closer to the community—making it more accessible, more convenient, and of course, more affordable," said Brandon Lomax, Market Manager, IKEA U.S ahead of the Alpharetta debut.   

The IKEA Alpharetta Plan & order point with Pick-up (yes, that's the full name, and it's super annoying) was announced as part of the company's strategy to increase accessibility and offer more ways for customers to shop, according to a company press release.     

That said, reviews for the Alpharetta store and others around the country suggest the company does not have the format figured out and that delays, premature closures, and customer service issues were frequent at the concept stores. 

Alpharetta was one of the best stores with an overall 4.1 star rating, but only 13 reviews.  Colma, California, in greater San Francisco, was the highest rated we found with 4.5 stars but only six reviews.  

Elsewhere, reviews were rather terrible with common complaints and no visible follow-up from management including:  

2.5 stars with 22 reviews in Annapolis, MD

2.5 stars with 2 reviews in Thousand Oaks, CA

3.4 stars with 32 reviews in Austin, TX

3.4 stars with 25 reviews in Gaithersburg, VA

3.9 stars with 44 reviews in Katy, TX 

By comparison, the large-format Atlanta IKEA has more than 17,500 reviews and an overall rating of 4.2 stars.  

Unlike traditional large-format IKEA stores, the new format focuses on interior design planning with IKEA experts on site to offer recommendations and help plan and order home furnishing solutions like kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms. The store offered items for delivery or pick-up but, has no merchandise on hand, so neither option would be immediate.   

IKEA, which was founded in Sweden, is now based in the Netherlands and maintains a U.S. headquarters in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, entered the Atlanta market with their multi-level, 366,000 square foot superstore at Atlantic Station in 2005.  The company in 2017 announced plans for a second large format store, just off I-75 in Marietta, but quietly abandoned those plans a few months later.      

Did you ever visit the small format IKEA store in Alpharetta?  What would you like to see open in place of the IKEA shop in Alpharetta?  Where do you do the majority of your home furnishings shopping?

Please share your thoughts below.