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Miami-Dade IKEA Store Opens In Sweetwater, Florida

Furniture World News Desk on 9/2/2014


IKEA reported that it has opened the doors of its first Miami-Dade store to customers at 9 a.m. EDT in Sweetwater, FL . The 416,000-square-foot IKEA Miami is located 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. 

It is the Swedish company’s 2nd store and restaurant destination in South Florida, 4th in the state, 39th in the United States, and 361st worldwide. (Florida’s first IKEA store opened in the Broward County city of Sunrise in 2007, followed by stores in Orlando and Tampa.) The store employs more than 350 coworkers and features 10,000 exclusively-designed items, a 600-seat IKEA Restaurant, 44 inspirational room settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area and approximately 1,500 parking spaces. Reflecting the company’s solar presence atop 90% of its U.S. locations, IKEA installed South Florida’s largest rooftop solar array at IKEA Miami.

“We are thrilled to bring the unique IKEA family-friendly shopping experience and affordable home furnishings of good design closer to our Miami-Dade customers,” said Selwyn Crittendon, IKEA Miami store manager. “The enthusiasm our coworkers feel about this big day and the warm reception from the community is translating into excitement and a great shopping event for our customers.”

Before the doors opened, Crittendon 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 Sweetwater Mayor Jose M. Diaz and IKEA U.S. CFO Rob Olson, Crittendon was joined by Miami-Dade County Deputy Mayor Jack Osterholt who raised the U.S. flag, Honorary Swedish Vice-Consul Katri Olander who raised the Swedish flag, and Miami-Dade County District 12 Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz who raised the state flag of Florida.

IKEA Miami also  recognized loyal, enthusiastic customers by giving away thousands of dollars in gift cards and merchandise.

Events: 
  • Rest Assured – The first 39 adults (18 and older) in line for the IKEA Miami grand opening  received  a free EKTORP three-seat sofa, honoring our new 39th U.S. store.
  • Take a Seat (And We Mean Take It!) – The next 100 adults (18 and older) in line at the IKEA Miami grand opening received a free POÄNG armchair.
  • For the (Truly) Young at Heart – The first 100 children (younger than 18) in line at IKEA Miami’s grand opening received a free FAMNIG heart-shaped soft toy.
  • Pick a Card, Any Card – The first 2,500 adults (18 and older) to visit IKEA Miamireceived 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 that their birthday is the same as the store’s received a gift card in the amount of $30.50, a tie-in with the prominent Miami-Dade area code.
  • Enter our Home, Enter to Win – visitors to IKEA Miami entered a drawing to win one of ten $450 IKEA Gift Cards through the IKEA FAMILY loyalty program. IKEA is matched more than twice the amount of those prizes (a total of $10,000 per organization) with a donation to National YoungArts Foundation, a group that identifies and supports the next generation of visual, literary, performing and design artists, and Amigos for Kids, a Miami organization committed to child abuse prevention and awareness.
  • Sleep Like Royalty – The first 39 adults (18 and older) in IKEA Miami received a free queen-sized SULTAN HALLEN mattress.
  • Take it Easy – The next 100 adults (18 and older) in IKEA Miami received free home delivery for their purchases on that day.
  • Meatballs for a Year – The first 39 adults (one per immediate family) in IKEA Miami received a voucher for the equivalent of a weekly meatball meal for a family of four at IKEA Miami’s Restaurant through next year, expiring on August 30, 2015.
  • Swedish Food Shopping Spree – The next 100 adults (18 or older) in IKEA Miami on received an IKEA Food tote bag and a voucher to fill the bag up with whatever they want from IKEA Miami’s Swedish Food market.
  • A Cold Sweet-ish Treat – The first 305 visitors in IKEA Miami received a voucher for a soft-serve frozen yogurt available that day at IKEA Miami’s Exit Bistro.
  • Kids Eat Free – Children 12 & under can ate for free at IKEA Miami on Friday, August 29, 2014.
  • Play Big If You’re Little – Face-painting for kids, caricature artists, music and entertainment enhanced the family-friendly fun at IKEA Miami. 

ADDITIONAL OFFERS AT IKEA MIAMI

IKEA Miami 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 Miami 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 600-seat restaurant also offers lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert, with a diverse menu, 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 Foodmarket offers Swedish delicacies, snacks and treats, and even frozen Swedish meatballs (the same ones used in the Restaurant) to purchase and then prepare at home.

IKEA Miami 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; 
  • 26 checkouts to ensure efficient customer purchasing; and
  • Warehouse picking, home-delivery, assembly, and kitchen planning and installation services.

About IKEA: With IKEA Miami open, there are 361 IKEA stores in 45 countries, including 39 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.