IKEA Plans Second Proposed Boston Store in Stroughton Mass

Furniture World Magazine

IKEA, the leading home furnishings retailer, announced its plans for a store in Stoughton, MA as an additional store in the Boston area. (One store already is approved in Somerville, MA.) Pending approval of the Stoughton project by town officials, construction could begin as early as Summer 2004, with an anticipated opening date of Summer 2005. IKEA intends to purchase 25 acres from F.X. Messina Enterprises, a local developer, completing Merchant’s Park along Route 24 at the Avon-Stoughton boundary, which is located near many home furnishing and home improvement retailers. The 350,000 square foot IKEA store would be built with approximately 1,300 parking spaces located both at-grade below the store and in a parking structure. This store would reflect the unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. “We are very excited about moving forward with a second proposed store for the Boston area at this location in Stoughton,” said Pat Smith, IKEA real estate director. “We know many residents of this area already are fans of IKEA, and we are working to ensure they have IKEA stores they can call their own.” In addition to offering nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, IKEA Stoughton would feature 50 different room settings, five model homes, a supervised children’s play area, as well as a 300-seat restaurant that serves Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon platters. Other family-friendly features include a Children’s IKEA showroom, baby care rooms, preferred parking and play areas throughout the store. Smith continued, “This Stoughton site represents a great opportunity for us to expand our identity in the Boston area and for us to become a significant economic contributor to the local community.” In addition to 500 construction jobs, more than 400 co-workers would join the IKEA family when the new store is fully built. Also, IKEA Stoughton would generate more than $1 million in property tax benefits to the town and significant annual sales tax revenues to Massachusetts. Another project, proposed for Somerville, has received all local approvals, but is awaiting one final state permit and court judgment on an appeal filed by a small community group. Smith explained “We are committed to the Somerville store; a store in Stoughton would be far enough from Somerville to attract other customers in the Boston area.” IKEA expects the Stoughton store to open in Summer 2005. IKEA currently has more than 185 stores in 31 countries, including 18 in the United States and 11 in Canada. The company plans to open 5 new U.S. stores a year for the next ten years. Other U.S. stores being planned include: Atlanta, GA; Bloomington, MN; Brooklyn, NY; Dublin, CA; New Haven, CT; Philadelphia, PA; Somerville, MA; Tempe, AZ; and a relocation in Houston, TX. Since its founding in 1943, IKEA 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. IKEA is recognized as a socially responsible company, and continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children, family and the environment. To visit the IKEA Web Site, please go to http://www.ikea-usa.com.