IKEA Plans To Open Store In Orlando

Furniture World Magazine

IKEA, a leading home furnishings retailer, announced plans for a store in Orlando, FL – increasing the Swedish retailer’s planned presence in Florida and the Southeastern U.S. Pending permits, construction of the future IKEA Orlando can begin later this summer, with an anticipated opening in Fall 2007. The 310,000 square-foot IKEA Orlando, with its 1,200 parking spaces, will be built on 22 acres off Eastgate Drive, south of Conroy Road, at the southeastern end of The Mall at Millenia, and will reflect the same unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. “We are thrilled to be locating an IKEA store at this site in Orlando where we can meet the needs of customers from the Panhandle to the Sun and Treasure Coasts,” said David Iemolo, IKEA real estate manager. “We know IKEA Orlando will be more convenient to existing customers while also introducing the unique IKEA family-friendly shopping experience to new customers across Florida.” Besides offering nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, IKEA Orlando will feature three model homes, 50 room settings, a supervised children’s play area, and a 300-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 400 coworkers would join the IKEA family when the new store opens. IKEA Orlando also will provide significant annual tax revenue for local governments and schools. “We look forward to being a partner in the local community,” added Iemolo. There currently are 235 IKEA stores in 34 countries, including 27 in the U.S., where the company plans to open 3 to 5 stores a year. Other U.S. stores are being planned in: Brooklyn, NY; Canton, MI; Draper, UT; Dublin, CA; Portland, OR; Round Rock, TX; Somerville, MA; and Sunrise, FL. Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered a wide range of home furnishings and accessories of good design and function, at low prices so the majority of the people can afford them. IKEA has been ranked in FORTUNE’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” List (two years in a row), Working Mother magazine’s annual list of “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” (three years in a row) and Training magazine’s annual “Top 100” ranking of companies that excel at human capital development (four years in a row). IKEA incorporates environmentally friendly and socially responsible 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 or for information about working at IKEA, please go to http://www.IKEA-usa.com.