IKEA downtown would be stupid. Most customers drive as furniture, even flat packed, is usually too large to fit on the subway. I don't think anyone complains about the lack of a downtown IKEA, as they understand the requirements for a store in terms of parking and land. The fact that there are two within easy transit access (subway / shuttle bus) from downtown means trips are fairly easy to make for smaller stuff, and big furniture purchases can still be done with a car share or something.

There is of course also the market size required for one, generally 1 million people a store. Sheppard and The Queensway locations cover Toronto fairly well.
 
Thought for sure that IKEA has major expansion plans including the new mini stores with 100 of their top-selling items, as well as being a place to pick up online orders. Downtown Toronto would be a perfect place for this type of smaller IKEA. I see people all the time on the subway with flat-packed furniture items.
 
sunnyraytoronto said:
Well,.... these same downtowners sure don't have a problem taking the subway up to Sheppard and getting off at Leslie or Bessarion station to go to IKEA
Click to expand...

Put an IKEA downtown and see how many downtowners continue to trek to North York.
 
An IKEA downtown would work amazingly well; You'd be surprised how many "small" items they sell; And delivery is a perfectly valid alternative; Actually if I were them I would put a FULL scale store less the warehouse downtown .. they recently added a second warehouse only location near 404 / Cummer / Steels to offset the warehouse in their North York store. Both stores would do very well.b
 
I fear if an Ikea were to open downtown, the little ridership that does exist on the Sheppard line would decrease even more :p. Joking aside, I do agree with taal, an Ikea would do incredibly well downtown, but perhaps have large items (e.g. beds, tables, large chests of drawers, etc) as delivery only and send it from North York if someone wanted it delivered. I personally have taken quite a bit of furniture from the North York store to my condo near Yonge and Queen on the subway, but my bed and chest of drawers was delivered.

Back on topic, MEC will probably do quite well on this site and it'll be great to get rid of this parking lot.
 
Why is MEC moving again ? Are they being kicked out of their current site for Allied's development ? I think that's what it is; Otherwise little incentive I don't think this store will be any larger.
 
They're selling the King Street site. There's all the incentive they need to move!

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From the planning site

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The Queen Street HCD mandates maximum heights here, and it has kept land costs lower here. It has allowed MEC to sell their King Street land and move just a few blocks away while realizing a profit.

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You have to think that some land owners in the area have to feel ripped off. The ones on Queen always had the prime spots and yet its now the owners in the back that can sell for the big money.
 
Just about every HCD and area plan which restricts development attracts OMB challenges when they are approved, because yes, landowners often don't like the City telling them that as owners in an area where we want to maintain heritage structures or character, that they have some social responsibility to do that.

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