Truly Massive: A Deep Dive into the World‘s Biggest IKEA Megastores
As the world‘s number one furniture retailer with over 445 international stores, IKEA has built some impressively enormous retail locations to satisfy their equally massive global customer base. But just how vast are their largest flagship stores? What uniquely massive layouts and facilities set them apart?
I‘ve done an in-depth analysis on the square footage, layouts and key features that make these retail giants stand out as IKEA‘s most spacious stores worldwide. Let‘s explore superlative IKEA store experiences across several countries.
Largest IKEA Stores Worldwide
The 10 biggest IKEA megastores around the globe are truly in a retail space all their own when it comes to expansive square footage.
Check out details on their size as well as standout amenities:
| Rank | Store Location | Sq. Footage | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manila, Philippines | 699,654 sq ft | 5 floors, ecommerce hub, over 8,000 products, 500+ staff |
| 2 | Gwangmyeong, South Korea | 635,070 sq ft | Largest IKEA in South Korea as of 2023 |
| 3 | Burbank, California, USA | 456,000 sq ft | Full IKEA product line, parking for 1,700 cars |
| 4 | Montreal, Canada | 469,694 sq ft | Expanded in 2022 to become largest in Canada |
| 5 | Stockholm Kungens Kurva, Sweden | 594,167 sq ft | Official tourist attraction with on-site Swedish Food Market |
| 6 | Berlin-Tempelhof, Germany | 343,000 sq ft | World’s first inner-city IKEA with rooftop garden |
| 7 | Shanghai Baoshan | 463,700 sq ft | Integrates traditional Chinese landscaping aesthetics |
| 8 | Beijing Olympic Park | 458,300 sq ft | LEED Gold sustainability certification |
| 9 | Emeryville, California | 416,000 sq ft | Prototype for updated IKEA design concepts |
| 10 | Moscow Mega Teply Stan | 430 585 sq ft | Largest IKEA in Eastern Europe |
*Square footage numbers updated for 2024
Reviewing those massive square footages, it‘s incredible seeing mega-IKEAs essentially as large as multiple NFL stadiums!
To visualize it another way:
- Manila store = 4 times bigger than the White House
- Gwangmyeong store = Over 3.5 x larger than the Pentagon
- Burbank, CA store = Over 2 x as big as the Titanic
That‘s a whole lot of Swedish meatballs and Billy bookcases! Next, let‘s analyze what makes these global retail heavyweights so uniquely massive.
Key Layouts and Features
More than just expansive retail space, these enormous IKEA stores incorporate special features tailored to their global regions, including:
Manila, Philippines Megastore
- 5 floors for showcasing IKEA‘s full range
- Bistro with local cuisine like sisig & chicken adobo
- IKEA Business center assisting over 4,000 corporate partners
- 600-seat restaurant serving over 5,000 meals per day
- Triple the size of previous Manila-area IKEA
Gwangmyeong, South Korea Store
- North Europe-inspired architectural design
- 1,300-capacity parking garage
- 600-seat Swedish Food Market restaurant
- Play area for kids with ball pit & slides
- Pet-friendly features like water fountain & relief areas
Visits & Operations
Attracting tens of thousands of visits daily, these IKEA showrooms reveal themselves as top tourist attractions. Let‘s analyze the incredible traffic & operations required:
- 20,000+ daily visitors expected in Manila
- Overall 445+ million IKEA store visits globally
- $46.8 billion total worldwide IKEA Group sales in 2022
- 500+ staff members for Manila location alone
- 340+ total IKEA stores in 29 countries around the world
Powering mass retail experiences on this scale demands huge store footprints bursting with furniture inventory.
So next time you‘re traveling and encounter an IKEA seemingly the size of a small village, chances are you‘ve discovered one of the top 10 biggest in the world! Just be sure to wear comfy shoes.
