IKEA Breaks Ground in Stoughton, MA

Furniture World Magazine

With company representatives, town officials and community leaders on-hand, IKEA, a leading home furnishings retailer, officially broke ground for its new Stoughton, MA store, opening Fall 2005.  The 346,000 square foot IKEA Stoughton will include 1,300 parking spaces and will be built on 28 acres in this suburb south of Boston. Located in Merchant’s Park along Route 24 at the Avon-Stoughton boundary, IKEA Stoughton will be the first IKEA store and restaurant destination in the Boston area.  (The closest store, in New Haven, CT, opened earlier this year and draws customers from throughout New England.)  Besides 500 construction jobs, 400 coworkers will join the IKEA family when the new store opens. In addition to nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, IKEA Stoughton will feature four model homes, 50 room settings, a supervised children’s play area, as well as a 300-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon platters.  Other family-friendly features include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the showroom, baby care rooms, preferred parking and play areas throughout the store. “We are excited about breaking ground here in Stoughton for our first Boston area store,” said Pat Smith, real estate director for IKEA.  “We know there are many IKEA customers in Greater Boston and throughout the state who have been visiting IKEA stores elsewhere in the country – and those who have heard of IKEA and are anxious for the unique shopping experience and affordable prices we offer.”  (Another project, proposed for Somerville, has received all approvals but is awaiting court judgement.) IKEA currently has more than 200 stores in 32 countries, including 22 in the U.S. where the company aims to open five new stores a year.  Other U.S. stores being planned include:  Atlanta, GA; Bolingbrook, IL; Brooklyn, NY; Canton, MI; Dublin, CA; Frisco, TX; Somerville, MA; and West Sacramento, CA. Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered a wide range of home furnishings and accessories of good design and function, at low prices so the majority of people can afford them.  For two years in a row, IKEA has been named to Working Mother magazine’s list of “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers.”  IKEA is recognized as a socially responsible company, and supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment.  To visit the IKEA Web site, please go to http://www.IKEA-usa.com.  For information about employment, please visit http://JobsAt.IKEA-usa.com.