Looks like FLA is finally getting an Ikea...
IKEA to build Orlando megastore
Orlando Business Journal - May 23, 2006
IKEA, a Swedish retailer of home furnishings, plans to build its second Florida store on a 22-acre parcel in the southeast corner of The Mall at Millenia in Orlando.
IKEA did not reveal the cost of the project. Officials indicated the store would employ about 400 people when open.
Plans call for construction to begin following permitting approvals from the city of Orlando, likely later this summer, with a fall 2007 opening. The announcement about the store came at a press conference on Tuesday attended by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
The huge 310,000-square-foot retail center will sell 10,000 items showcased in three model homes and 50 room settings, a supervised children's play area and a 300-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties. There are 1,200 parking spaces planned for the store.
IKEA has 236 stores in 34 countries, including 27 stores in the United States. At present, the closest to Orlando is located in Atlanta, with plans for a third store in the southeastern U.S. opening next summer in Sunrise, in South Florida.
The company says it plans to open three to five stores a year in the United States.
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