Ikea is coming to Cherry Hill Mall

Ikea is opening its first pop-up shop.

The global home furnishing brand, which has its U.S. headquarters in Conshohocken, will open a pop-up shop at Cherry Hill Mall this Friday, with a focus on kitchen design. Customers will be able to work with Ikea’s experts to plan custom kitchen projects and purchase products directly on-site.

“The kitchen is the heart of the home for many. We want to inspire customers to create a better everyday life at home,” said Michael Hill, a spokesperson for Ikea.

Although spending on home improvements decreased in 2022, the average amount spent on home improvement last year was $8,484 according to a report from Angi, the membership site known for high-quality recommendations formerly known as Angie’s List.

The kitchen pop-up store will be open through September and is part of a larger initiative to bring Ikea kitchen pop-ups to more places across the country. The company would not comment on where future pop-ups might open.

“We are excited to welcome this high-quality, pop-up from a legendary brand,” Joe Coradino, CEO of mall owner Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, said in an email. “This keeps the consumer coming back, which drives traffic and sales to our other tenants, so we all win.”

PREIT has faced financial hurdles in the past few years, as its properties were slammed by the pandemic and e-commerce. The company briefly went into bankruptcy in 2020 and currently faces almost $1 billion in debt.

Many malls suffered losses during the pandemic, as they lost foot traffic when social distancing restrictions were enacted. As a result, some mall owners are experimenting with different attractions. A study from Placer.ai, an analytics company that studies foot traffic, points to the success of York Galleria Mall, which opened the Hollywood Casino in August 2021 and saw foot traffic increase by 31.4% in a year-over-three-year comparison.

Ikea and Cherry Hill Mall are hoping to see similar results.

“We see an opportunity to reach and better serve our South Jersey customers,” Hill said. “As a prime shopping destination for many in this region, the Cherry Hill Mall felt like the perfect location to captivate customers with the pop-up experience.”

There are two Ikea locations in New Jersey, one in Elizabeth and one in Paramus.

The Ikea pop-up shop will be open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bad news for fans of the company’s famed meatballs, though. The beloved treats won’t be available at the pop-up.