Kansas City-Area IKEA Store Opens in Merriam, Kansas, Offering Swedish Furnishings, Design Inspirations, Meatballs, and More

MERRIAM, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today opened the doors of its Kansas City-area store to customers at 9 a.m. CDT in Merriam, KS. The 359,000 square-foot IKEA Merriam is located on 18.4 acres along the eastern side of Interstate-35 and Johnson Drive, eight miles southwest of Kansas City, Missouri. It is the Swedish company’s 1^st store and restaurant destination in Kansas, 40^th in the United States, and 362^nd worldwide. (A St. Louis IKEA store is slated to open in Missouri next Fall, 2015.) The store employs more than 300 coworkers and features 10,000 exclusively-designed items, a 450-seat IKEA Restaurant, 38 inspirational room settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area and approximately 1,200 parking spaces. Reflecting the company’s renewable energy presence at 90% of its U.S. locations, IKEA integrated the region’s largest geothermal project, and plans to install the state’s largest rooftop solar array, at IKEA Merriam.

“We are excited to bring the unique IKEA family-friendly shopping experience and affordable home furnishings of good design to Kansas, Missouri and beyond,” said Rob Parsons, IKEA Merriam store manager. “The enthusiasm of coworkers about this big day and the warm reception from the community are translating into excitement and a great shopping event for our customers.”

Before the doors opened, Parsons welcomed the community with a traditional Swedish log-sawing ceremony, bringing good luck to the new home and its guests. In addition to brief remarks by Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Merriam Mayor Ken Sissom and IKEA U.S. CFO Rob Olson, Parsons was joined by Johnson County Board of Commissioners Chair Ed Eilert who raised the U.S. flag, former Honorary Swedish Consul for Kansas City Craig Roeder who raised the Swedish flag, and State Representative Emily Perry who raised the state flag of Kansas. Local Kansas City resident Michelle Brooks served as sign language interpreter of the opening ceremony.

Beginning with today’s opening and through Sunday, September 14, IKEA Merriam will recognize loyal, enthusiastic customers by giving away thousands of dollars in gift cards and merchandise.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

• Rest Assured – The first 40 adults (18 & older) in line for the IKEA Merriam grand opening on September 10, 2014 are receiving a free EKTORP three-seat sofa, honoring our 40^th U.S. store.
• Take a Seat (And We Mean Take It!) – The next 100 adults (18 & older) in line at the IKEA Merriam grand opening on September 10, 2014 are receiving a free POÄNG armchair.
• For the (Truly) Young at Heart – The first 100 children (17 & younger) in line at IKEA Merriam grand opening on September 10, 2014 are receiving a free FAMNIG heart-shaped soft toy.
• Pick a Card, Any Card – The first 2,500 adults (18 & older) to visit IKEA Merriam on September 10, 2014 are receiving a random prize envelope with IKEA Gift Cards ranging from $10 to $250, or a “Buy One, Get One Free” cinnamon bun, hotdog or frozen yogurt voucher.
• Happy Birthday to You and Us – Visitors bringing proof to IKEA Merriam on September 10, 2014 that their birthday is the same as the store’s can receive a gift card in the amount of $40, a tie-in corresponding to IKEA Merriam as the 40^th IKEA store in the U.S.
• Enter our Home, Enter to Win – From September 10 through September 12, 2014, visitors to IKEA Merriam may enter a drawing to win one of ten $1,000 IKEA Gift Cards through the IKEA FAMILY loyalty program. IKEA is matching the prizes (a total of $10,000) with a donation to Amethyst Place, a local provider of safe and supportive housing to women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, and their children.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

• Sleep Like Royalty – The first 40 adults (18 & older) in IKEA Merriam on Thursday, September 11, 2014 will receive a free queen-sized SULTAN HALLEN mattress.
• Take it Easy – The next 100 adults (18 & older) in IKEA Merriam on Thursday, September 11, 2014 will receive free home delivery for their purchases on that day.

Friday, September 12, 2014

• Meatballs for a Year – The first 40 adults (one per immediate family) in IKEA Merriam on Friday, September 12, 2014 will receive a voucher a monthly meatball meal for a family of four at IKEA Merriam’s Restaurant through next year, expiring on September 30, 2015.
• Swedish Food Shopping Spree – The next 100 adults (18 & older) in IKEA Merriam on Friday, September 12, 2014 will receive an IKEA Food tote bag and a voucher to fill the bag up with whatever they want from IKEA Merriam’s Swedish Food market.
• A Cold Sweet-ish Treat – The first 100 children (17 & under) in IKEA Merriam on Friday, September 12, 2014 will receive a voucher for a soft-serve frozen yogurt available that day at IKEA Merriam’s Exit Bistro.
• Kids Choice – Children 12 & under eat for free at IKEA Merriam on Friday, September 12, 2014.

Wednesday, September 10 - Sunday, September 14, 2014

• Play Big If You’re Little – Balloon artists, entertainment and face-painting will enhance the family-friendly fun at IKEA Merriam from September 10 through September 14, 2014.

ADDITIONAL OFFERS AT IKEA MERRIAM

IKEA Merriam is a fun day out for the family with:

• Småland, a supervised children’s play area (for children 37”-54” in height) that replicates the look of a typical Swedish farmhouse and forest;
• Additional play areas throughout the store, offering activities for kids shopping with parents;
• A “Children’s IKEA” area in the Showroom that also offers fun, interactive play; and
• Attention-to-detail amenities such as family-friendly parking, strollers and baby care rooms.

No shopping on an empty stomach at IKEA Merriam because:

• The IKEA Restaurant opens 30 minutes earlier than the store for a full hot breakfast, including scrambled eggs, potatoes and bacon for only 99¢.
• The 450-seat restaurant also offers a diverse menu featuring lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert, including traditional Swedish specialties such as the popular IKEA Swedish meatballs, seafood plates, pasta, chicken, salads, sandwiches, as well as vegetarian dishes too.
• Menu choices for kids include a child’s portion of Swedish meatballs or macaroni and cheese, while baby food and bibs are available for even younger visitors.
• A Bistro near the store’s exit serves hot dogs, cinnamon buns, frozen yogurt and beverages.
• The Swedish Food Market offers Swedish delicacies, snacks and treats, and even frozen meatballs (the same ones used in the Restaurant) to purchase and then prepare at home.

IKEA Merriam shopping conveniences include:

• Free design appointments with a furnishings consultant;
• IKEA catalogs, measuring tape, pencils, store maps, yellow shopping bags and 3 types of carts;
• Same-day shopping satisfaction with products in easy-to-transport flat-pack boxes that benefit the customer and the environment;
• 18 checkouts to ensure efficient customer purchasing;
• Warehouse picking, home-delivery, assembly, and kitchen planning and installation services; and
• 2015 IKEA Catalogs, themed “Where the Everyday Begins and Ends,” highlighting products for where people sleep and get ready every morning and night – the bedroom and the bathroom.

When IKEA Merriam opens, there will be 362 IKEA stores in 45 countries, including 40 in the U.S. 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. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information see IKEA-USA.com, @IKEAUSANews, @DesignByIKEA or IKEAUSA on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Pinterest.