If you’re from one of the major metropolitan areas in the United States, Ikea might have always seemed like a ubiquitous player—but in fact, the Swedish retailer’s presence has been relatively sparse across the country since it debuted its first store outside of Philadelphia in the mid-1980s. That might not be true for much longer.

In 2023, Ikea announced its largest-ever U.S. investment—more than $2.2 billion—and outlined three key pillars: the debut of new locations throughout the States (with a particular focus on the South), a strengthened fulfillment network, and product offerings that address “the needs of life at home in different regions across the country.”

Those plans are now nearing completion: This year marks the final installment in the expansion program, with Ikea announcing last month in its annual report that it would open 10 stores in 2026, including four newly revealed locations in Chicago; Los Angeles; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Fort Collins, Colorado.

The first phase of growth saw the opening of 14 new stores, nine “Plan & Order Points” (showrooms where customers work with the company’s design consultants to place orders) and 900 pickup locations—in addition to modernization efforts for existing stores. As Fortune reported at the time, Ikea representatives said it was the biggest investment the retailer had ever made in one country alone.

In the years that followed, the company rolled out a number of additional initiatives, including buy-now, pay-later purchasing options through a partnership with Afterpay in 2023; the launch of a Spanish-language website the following year; and last fall, the introduction of “shop in shop” kitchen and laundry planning studios in select Florida and Texas Best Buy stores (the first time Ikea products have been sold through another stateside retailer).

“The U.S. is one of our most important markets, and we see endless opportunities to grow there and get closer to the many Americans with affordable products and services,” Tolga Öncü, head of Ikea Retail, Ingka Group, said in the 2023 announcement. “More than ever before, we want to increase the density of our presence in the U.S., ramp up our fulfillment capacities and make our offer even more relevant to local customers’ needs and dreams.”

The company hasn’t been immune to the economic pressures that have put a strain on the broader retail furniture market. In late 2023, Ikea reduced prices on hundreds of products across its range in U.S. stores and online—with some fan favorites, like the Billy bookcase, marked down by 20 percent or more in an attempt to respond to consumer concerns over affordability. It was a winning strategy, leading to a 2.7 percent bump in numbers of pieces purchased per customer, but it wouldn’t last. In 2025, total retail sales fell for the second year in a row, and the company found that it could no longer absorb the impact of the new furniture tariffs, forcing it to reverse course and implement price increases.

Still, Ikea’s plans for U.S. domination are moving along. As of mid-February, The Hill reports, the three-year push put the retailer’s U.S. presence at more than 50 stores—spread across 30 states. Meanwhile, according to the company’s annual report, it brought in $5.3 billion in total U.S. sales in fiscal year 2025—inching it closer to domestic giants like Williams-Sonoma, which pulled in $7.8 billion last year.

It’s telling that Ikea’s push has come at a time of distress for the broader home industry. The housing market remains stagnant, and smaller furniture stores—and even small chains—are closing at an alarming rate. Being the largest home goods company in the world gives Ikea the resources to be patient and gobble up market share during a downturn. If all goes to plan, the Swedish retail giant, once a cult favorite in the U.S., may truly be ubiquitous here in a few years’ time.