Countdown To Opening Day For Wayfair Store At Wilmette's Edens Plaza

WILMETTE, IL — Nearly two and a half years after Wayfair revealed plans to open its first brick-and-mortar location in the former Carson's at Edens Plaza Wilmette, the online retailer announced Thursday it plans to open to shoppers next month.

Boston-based Wayfair, known for its range of furniture and home furnishings, is making the move from the online marketplace to the realm of big-box retailers.

Its 150,000-square-foot Wilmette store aims to create a shopping destination, including a restaurant on-site called "The Porch." Swedish retailer Ikea has employed a similar strategy, an effort to encourage extended visits in a more engaged environment.

Edens Plaza had been anchored by a Carson's store from the time it was built as one of the nation's first suburban shopping malls in the mid-1950 until its vacancy six years ago. Wayfair and WS Development arranged to buy the property in late 2021, initially targeting an opening date in mid-2023.

Wayfair has experimented with physical retail through test stores and pop-up shops under other brands, including Joss & Main and AllModern, the move into a permanent, big-box location is a response to the challenges it faces online.

A grand opening event for the new store at 3232 Lake Ave. is scheduled for 10 a.m. on May 23, with various promotions planned for opening weekend.

After that, it will be open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs at the new store are available.

Company officials invited potential hires in departments including administration, asset protection, customer experience, facilities, logistics, restaurant operations, salesfloor and more to come to hiring events at the Wilmette store on April 6, April 13 and April 24.

The hiring comes after Wayfair laid off 13 percent of its workforce — 1,650 workers— in its fourth round of post-pandemic layoffs in January. Company leaders laid off about 1,750 people last year and more than 800 in 2022.

Ahead of the latest layoffs, CEO Niraj Shah said employees need to work harder and be frugal with the company's money.

"Working long hours, being responsive, blending work and life, is not anything to shy away from," Shah told employees in a memo. "There is not a lot of history of laziness being rewarded with success."

Despite achieving staggering sales figures online, Wayfair has struggled with profitability, hindered in part by the cost of marketing needed to maintain consumers' attention.

Wayfair's year-on-year profit has declined every quarter for the past approximately two years. Despite generating $12 billion in revenue last year, the company's 2023 net loss was $738 million.

The publicly traded company's stock hit $345 back in 2021, but it stood at only about $54 Friday morning.

Earlier: Wayfair At Edens Plaza Gets Final Wilmette Village Board Approval