IKEA announced that it is submitting plans for a Miami-Dade store in the City of Sweetwater, Florida as the second South Florida IKEA store and fourth in the state. Pending approvals, construction of IKEA Miami could begin as early as Spring 2013, with an opening as early as Fall 2014. Until then, customers can shop at Broward County's IKEA Sunrise or online at IKEA-USA.com. (The two other IKEA stores in Florida are located in Orlando and Tampa.)
Located on 14.6 acres west of Miami International Airport at the intersection of the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) and Florida Turnpike, and adjacent to the Dolphin Mall, the 417,000-square-foot proposed IKEA Miami would be built above two levels of parking, totaling 1,500 spaces. Store plans reflect the unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. IKEA also will evaluate solar generation potential for this proposed store to complement its renewable energy presence of 89% of its U.S. locations.
''We are thrilled with the reception afforded IKEA since entering the state nearly five years ago, so we are excited to submit plans for IKEA Miami where we can grow our Florida and southeastern U.S. reach,'' said Mike Ward, IKEA U.S. president. ''This proposed store would complement our South Florida presence established in Sunrise and bring the unique family-friendly shopping experience closer to existing and new Miami-Dade customers.''
IKEA Miami would feature nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children's play area, and a 500-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon plates, as well as American dishes. Other family-friendly features include a 'Childre's IKEA' area in the Showroom, baby care rooms, preferred parking and play areas throughout the store. In addition to the more than 500 jobs that are expected to be created during the construction phase, approximately 400 coworkers would join the IKEA family when the new store opens. IKEA Miami also would provide significant annual sales and property tax revenue for local governments and schools.
IKEA, drawing from its Swedish heritage and respect of nature, believes it can be a good business while doing good business and aims to minimize impacts on the environment. Globally, IKEA evaluates locations regularly for conservation opportunities, integrates innovative materials into product design, works to maintain sustainable resources, and flat-packs goods for efficient distribution. Specific U.S. sustainable efforts include: recycling waste material; incorporating environmental measures into the actual buildings with energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, skylights in warehouse areas, and water-conserving restrooms; and operationally, eliminating plastic bags from the check-out process, phasing-out the sale of incandescent light bulbs and facilitating recycling of customers' compact fluorescent bulbs. IKEA also is in the process of rolling out solar energy installations atop nearly 89% of its U.S. locations, and has installed electric vehicle charging stations at nine stores in the West.
IKEA strives to be 'The Life Improvement Store' and, since its 1943 founding in Sweden, has offered home furnishings of good design and function at low prices so the majority of people can afford them. There are currently more than 330 IKEA stores in 40 countries, including 38 in the U.S. IKEA has been ranked in FORTUNE's annual ''100 Best Companies to Work For'' list, Working Mother magazin's annual list of ''100 Best Companies for Working Mothers'' and Training magazine's annual ''op 100.'' IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information, go to IKEA-USA.com.
