SWEETWATER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today announced that steel framing has progressed far enough that installation of the iconic blue composite panels has begun on its future Miami-Dade-area store opening next summer in Sweetwater, FL. Installation of the blue panels is a construction milestone that ensures the store will open Summer 2014, and reflects the unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide.
The 416,000 square-foot future IKEA Miami, and nearly 1,500 parking spaces, will be built on 14.6 acres adjacent to the Dolphin Mall, at the intersection of the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) and Florida’s Turnpike, in the City of Sweetwater. Until IKEA Miami opens as the second IKEA store in South Florida and fourth in the state, customers can shop at Broward County’s IKEA Sunrise.
“With the store’s structure significantly taking shape and blue paneling now going up, we definitely are on track for a grand opening next summer,” said Mike Ward, IKEA U.S. president. “We hope to be enclosed fully after the new year, and are excited to open IKEA Miami in Summer 2014. We know there are some South Florida customers who have not yet made it to our Broward County store in Sunrise or do not visit often, so we are pleased to be opening one closer to them in Miami-Dade.”
IKEA Miami will feature nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a 600-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon plates, as well as American dishes. Other family-friendly features include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the Showroom, baby care rooms, play areas throughout the store, and preferred parking. In addition to the more than 750 jobs that are expected to be created during the construction phase, approximately 350 coworkers would join the IKEA family when the new store opens. IKEA Miami also will generate significant annual sales and property tax revenue for local schools and governments. And, the store will include South Florida’s largest rooftop solar array, consistent with the company’s solar presence atop 90% of its U.S. locations.
Candidates interested in working at this employer of choice soon should begin looking online at IKEA-USA.com, to apply for diverse positions available in home furnishings sales, interior decoration, customer service, safety and security, cashiers, maintenance, goods flow, receiving, warehouse and stock replenishment. Also, setting itself apart, IKEA Miami will offer approximately 70 food service opportunities in its Restaurant, Swedish Foodmarket, Café Bistro and coworker cafeteria.
Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA 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 340 IKEA stores in 42 countries, including 38 in the U.S. IKEA has been ranked in FORTUNE’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, Working Mother magazine’s annual list of “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” and Training magazine’s annual “Top 100.” IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information, see IKEA-USA.com, facebook.com/IKEAUSA, @DesignByIKEA, and http://pinterest.com/IKEAUSA/.
