IKEA Seeking 500 to Join Swedish Family in Red Hook

BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today announced it has begun the general recruitment process for its 1^st New York City store, set to open Summer 2008 in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook. Candidates interested in working at the future IKEA Brooklyn – the Swedish company’s 4^th New York-New Jersey area store and 35^th in the United States – should look online (www.IKEA-USA.com) for all available positions at the future store.

“We are thrilled to offer interested jobseekers diverse positions with limitless opportunity at a global company”

Candidates without access to a computer are encouraged to visit a local recreation center or library for online computer access. They also can contact Mike Rosenthal at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (718/875-1000, x108) or Jerry Dunning at the Brooklyn Business Solutions Center (718/246-5219, x2025) for assistance with applying.

“We are thrilled to offer interested jobseekers diverse positions with limitless opportunity at a global company,” said Joseph Roth, IKEA public affairs director. “At IKEA, we realize our coworkers value the ability to do the things in life that bring success and happiness.”

While IKEA Brooklyn progresses through construction and outfitting, a variety of positions are open to local residents. Prospective coworkers are welcome to apply for the nearly 500 diverse positions in: home furnishings sales, interior decoration, customer service, safety and security, cashiers, maintenance, goods flow, receiving, warehouse and stock replenishment. Also, setting itself apart from other retailers in the area, IKEA Brooklyn will offer – among the 500 total positions to be hired for the store – approximately 80 food service opportunities in its Restaurant, Swedish Foodmarket, Café Bistro and coworker cafeteria.

Named in FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list (three consecutive years), Working Mother magazine’s annual list of the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” (four consecutive years) and Training magazine’s annual “Top 100” ranking of companies that excel at human capital development (five consecutive years), IKEA places value and emphasis on coworkers’ personal lives and the importance of a work/life balance.

Drawing from the company’s Swedish heritage, IKEA is committed to a flexible workplace that emphasizes a work/life balance and provides professional opportunities to people from all life situations. If an IKEA coworker needs to take time off to find a nursing home for an aging parent, be home to kiss their child before bed or have flexible scheduling to best juggle caring for a newborn, one can do so without worrying about risking their career aspirations. IKEA offers other family-friendly initiatives and diverse workplace benefits including full medical/dental insurance to coworkers working 20 hours or more per week with eligibility for domestic partners and children.

Other benefits include: vacation, paid maternity/paternity leave and paid time off for child adoption, tuition assistance, 401(k) match, professional development, training and mentoring programs and, of course, a discount on IKEA purchases. The organization puts career opportunity into the hands of the individual, encouraging coworkers to consider assignments within different functions, at other IKEA stores or even in other countries. IKEA prides itself on the fact that an opportunity to work at IKEA truly can evolve into a career and can serve as a gateway to global experience as well.

Under construction on 22 acres along the Erie Basin waterfront in Red Hook, south of the BQE/Gowanus Expressway and southeast of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, IKEA Brooklyn will present 50 different room settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, a 450-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries or salmon plates, as well as American dishes. Other family-friendly features include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the showroom, baby care rooms, preferred parking and play areas throughout the store. IKEA Brooklyn also will offer home delivery, kitchen installation and design consultation services.

The project includes a 6.5-acre public waterfront esplanade and many transit options such as ferry service from lower Manhattan, a bus stop for the B61 and B77 lines and shuttles to nearby subway stations. Also, IKEA will generate significant tax revenue for local governments. When IKEA Brooklyn opens in Summer 2008, the new store will welcome 500 coworkers to the IKEA family of more than 11,000 coworkers in the United States and 100,000 globally. Until the 346,000 square-foot future IKEA Brooklyn opens in Summer 2008, customers can shop at New York-New Jersey area IKEA stores in Elizabeth, NJ; Hicksville, NY; Paramus, NJ; or at www.IKEA-USA.com.

IKEA believes home is the most important place in the world and, since its 1943 founding in Sweden, 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. As part of this commitment to create a better everyday life for the many people, IKEA incorporates environmentally and socially responsible efforts into day-to-day business, strives to be an employer of choice, and continually supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment. The unique and family-friendly IKEA shopping experience currently can be found at more than 270 IKEA stores in 36 countries, including 33 in the U.S., where other new stores are being planned in: Charlotte, NC; Somerville, MA; Tampa, FL; and West Chester, OH. To visit the IKEA Web Site or for information about working at IKEA, please go to www.IKEA-USA.com.