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Furniture and home goods giant IKEA has revealed its plans to open a new-concept store at the Pleasanton Square Shopping Center this summer.
Although the location will deviate from the retailer’s traditional store format, the Scandinavian company said it aims to bring the IKEA experience closer to Tri-Valley residents.
“I’m beyond excited to welcome customers to our new Plan and Order Point in Pleasanton this Summer 2026,” Arda Akalin, market manager of the IKEA in Emeryville, said in a press release Wednesday. “This new store location is perfect for customers who are looking to purchase affordable home furnishings, plan new design projects and create a home they love.”
Tri-Valley and other Bay Area residents historically had limited options when choosing an IKEA store to visit. The region currently has three locations: San Francisco, Emeryville and East Palo Alto — according to the company, the Emeryville store, which opened in 2000, was the first in the Bay Area.
IKEA had planned for several years to build a full store in Dublin to serve the Tri-Valley and other East Bay communities, but the company announced last fall it was pulling out and selling the large property it owned on the east side of town.
In 2024, the furniture retailer introduced a new concept — the same one coming to the Tri-Valley — in opening its Plan and Order Point with Pick-up store in Colma, located south of San Francisco. Customers go to the store, meet with IKEA employees and choose the items they wish to purchase, but they don’t actually leave with those items.
“In our Plan & Order points and Planning Studios, customers can get support from an IKEA expert with planning and ordering home furnishing solutions that require a bit more help — such as kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms,” Kai Wen Su, a marketing manager for IKEA told the Weekly.
“While customers are unable to take products home that day, IKEA co-workers will arrange for delivery or schedule orders to be picked up from the convenient pick-up location next door,” Su added. “At IKEA Pleasanton, customers also have the option to pick-up purchases made online at the Pick-up location.”
Customers can also arrange home deliveries, according to the company. One important thing to note is that this new store will not offer the iconic IKEA meatballs and other food that is offered at the other traditional store locations.
According to the Jan. 26 press release, the IKEA Pleasanton Plan and Order Point with Pick-up store format is one of many new format stores that are “part of the growth strategy for IKEA U.S.”
“IKEA Pleasanton brings our signature design solutions to the Tri-Valley community — making it more accessible, more convenient, and of course, more affordable,” Akalin said.
Su added that the reason why the company decided to go with this newer format in lieu of a traditional IKEA store was mainly because of demand and distance from existing stores such as the Emeryville location.
“We are dedicated to bringing the IKEA experience closer to our customers with a variety of customer meeting points and locations that complement each other and meet people’s different needs at different times,” Su said. “We have identified geographic areas in the market that are beyond a 30-minute drive from existing stores (IKEA Emeryville) and where affinity for IKEA is extremely high. Based on this, we looked at expanding the IKEA touchpoints in the Tri-Valley area.”
According to the press release, the store will cover about 2,100 square feet of retail space at the Pleasanton Square Shopping Center, located at 5755 Johnson Drive.
Su said that while the company does not have a confirmation on the specific opening date, more information regarding those details will be shared later in the summer.
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Perhaps the best news I’ve heard in the new year!