Wednesbury Ikea plans expansion

The landmark Ikea homeware store next to the M6 in the Black Country is in line for a multi-million pound expansion, creating up to 40 jobs.

The Wednesbury store has submitted a planning application to Walsall Council to build an 8,200 sq ft extension on to the eastern side of the store, doubling the size of the restaurant, enlarging the lobby area and increasing the size of the shop floor to fit in more stock.

If approved, it is hoped work could get under way in December or January, and will be finished by this time next year.

Store manager Gary Pearce said: "This is really good news, we hope it will be approved.

"The plans we have will cost between £3 million and £10m, depending of which parts of the application are approved.

"It would mean the number of seats in the restaurant are doubled, and the upstairs shop floor, where we have all the room sets, would also be made bigger."

A business report submitted to Walsall councillors along with the planning application says that the store at Gallagher retail park struggles in comparison to the more modern Ikeas around the country, which are generally much larger.

It says: "Ikea Wednesbury had struggled in recent years with a significant lack of floor space in many of the major areas."