U.S. – IKEA announced it is submitting final plans to the City of Joliet, IL that would advance the development of its previously approved Midwestern distribution center.

City approval of these updated plans would pave the way for proceeding with a building permit application. It is anticipated that construction on the facility could begin as early as this Fall, 2015, with its being fully operational in Summer 2017.

Planned on 72 acres at the Laraway Crossings Business Park in Joliet, IL, 48 miles southwest of Chicago, the approximately 1.4-million-square-foot distribution center would serve the inventory needs of at least 10 IKEA stores throughout the Midwestern U.S., as well as customer fulfillment. This Midwestern warehouse will complement the current distribution network comprised of two distribution centers on the west coast and three on the east.

“We have known for some time now that Joliet was the perfect location for our distribution hub in the Midwest, so we are pleased our Midwestern presence has grown to the point where we need this terminal to be up and running in 2017,” said IKEA U.S. CFO Rob Olson.