IKEA To Open First Florida Store In 2007

Furniture World News

IKEA, a leading home furnishings retailer, announced plans to build its first Florida store in the City of Sunrise, located in western Broward County, as part of the ‘Gateway at Sawgrass.’ The new retail center is being planned by Ft. Lauderdale-based Stiles Corporation. Construction could begin in late Spring 2006, with the grand opening of IKEA Sunrise slated for Summer 2007. Until then, customers can shop at the closest store – IKEA Atlanta, which opened last June. At the northwestern corner of I-595/SR-84 and N.W. 136th Avenue, the 20-acre IKEA site in the City of Sunrise will include a 293,000 square-foot IKEA store at-grade with 1,100 parking spaces in a two-level parking deck in front of the store. As part of the planned 25-acre ‘Gateway at Sawgrass,’ the future IKEA Sunrise will reflect the unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. It will be adjacent to 40,000 s.f. of first-class specialty retail shops and restaurants to be developed by Stiles on more than five acres along N.W. 136th Avenue. “We are very excited about being part of the future ‘Gateway at Sawgrass,’” said Dave Iemolo, IKEA real estate manager. “We have been looking for the right location in South Florida for quite some time and now have found it. We are confident that Stiles’ long-standing commitment to this location, paired with the City’s dedication to quality development, will result in a distinctive, high- profile project. We look forward to bringing IKEA closer to existing customers – while also introducing our unique family-friendly shopping experience to new customers in South Florida.” Besides nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, IKEA Sunrise will feature three model homes, 50 room settings, a supervised children’s play area, as well as a 250-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon plates, as well as American dishes. Other family-friendly features will include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the showroom, baby care rooms, preferred parking and play areas throughout the store. In addition to jobs created during the construction phase, approximately 350 coworkers will join the IKEA family when the new store opens. The future IKEA Sunrise will provide significant annual sales and property tax revenue for local governments and schools. “We also plan to be an active partner in the local community,” Iemolo added. There are currently more than 225 IKEA stores in 33 countries, including 26 in the U.S., where IKEA plans to open three-five stores a year. Other stores are being planned in: Brooklyn, NY; Canton, MI; Draper, UT; Dublin, CA; Portland, OR; Round Rock, TX; Somerville, MA; and West Sacramento, CA. Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings and accessories of good design and function, at low prices so the majority of the people can afford them. For three consecutive years, IKEA has been named to Working Mother magazine’s annual list of the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” and Training magazine’s annual “Top 100” ranking of companies that excel at human capital development – as well as to FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for two straight years. IKEA incorporates environmentally friendly efforts into day-to-day business and continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment. To visit the IKEA Web site, please go to http://www.IKEA-usa.com. For information about working at IKEA, please visit http://JobsAt.IKEA-usa.com.