IKEA Opens First Oklahoma Store as Buc-ee's, Scheels and Barnes & Noble Expand

IKEA will open its first Oklahoma store next week, the first of several large retailers expanding into Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Yahoo reported on October 26, 2026. IKEA is a Swedish home furnishings chain known for flat-pack furniture and warehouse-format stores.

IKEA Leads a Wave of Oklahoma Retail Openings

IKEA's Oklahoma store is a fully realized project, while other retailers are in the final stages before opening. Buc-ee's submitted plans for a new Oklahoma location, complete with the beaver statue and beaver nuggets. A map shown to the city council indicates the proposed Oklahoma City Buc-ee's would be built on the northwest corner of I-40 and Cimarron Road, where the Cimarron Road bridge over the highway is currently a two-lane-wide crossing with an old-fashioned rural set of on- and off-ramps.

The Oklahoma City Council voted 5-2 at a September meeting to contribute $10 million in federal funding toward rebuilding the I-40 and Cimarron Road junction. The funding was secured by Sen. Markwayne Mullin before he was appointed secretary of Homeland Security. No opening date has been set, as conversations are still ongoing. "I can now finally confirm that we are in very active conversations with Buc-ee's about their first location in Oklahoma City (and the State of Oklahoma), which will be located at Interstate 40 and Cimarron Road in West OKC," Holt posted.

Scheels and Barnes & Noble Add to the Pipeline

Just north of the Kilpatrick Turnpike on Portland Avenue, a 144-acre mixed-use development anchored by Scheels sporting goods is gaining momentum with new contracts in the works. Dirt work continues on the site's first phase, with the 330,000-square-foot Scheels store remaining on track for a spring 2028 grand opening. Cavender's closed on a pad site at the development a couple of months ago and plans a 20,000-square-foot prototype store on the frontage, just south of where Scheels will be located. The project is also moving forward with a 285-unit apartment complex now under contract, and a new Crest Foods store is planned in an adjacent area. "We've got a lot of irons in the fire right now," Randy Hogan, the developer of the site, previously said. "So far so good on activity level."

Barnes & Noble is among several retailers set to open at Penn Square Mall as its owner, Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, starts a $13 million renovation at Oklahoma City's oldest shopping mall. Penn Square's website indicates the Barnes & Noble will open in the mall's west wing in May 2027.

Walmart and Target Expand Elsewhere

Walmart announced plans to open about 20 new stores this year into next, double the 2025 openings, with approximately 650 stores remodeled under its "Store of the Future" concept, AL.com reported on October 12. Target is opening a $17 million store in Fate, Texas, with construction starting in the first quarter of 2025 and completion by February 2028, Yahoo reported on October 20. Tractor Supply Company renovated its DeMotte store, nwitimes.com reported on October 13.

Next Steps for IKEA

IKEA's first Oklahoma store opens next week. Barnes & Noble's Penn Square Mall location is slated for May 2027, and Scheels' store is on track for a spring 2028 grand opening.