IKEA West Sacramento Right on Track as Blue and Yellow Appear; Swedish Retailer's West Sacramento Store Progresses toward Spring 2006 Opening

Business Wire, Nov 16, 2005

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- IKEA, the world's leading home furnishings retailer, today noted that exterior painting now is complete for its future store opening next spring in West Sacramento, CA. Reflecting the unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide, the 265,000 square-foot future IKEA West Sacramento is under construction on 20 acres at the Reed Avenue exit off I-80 and will include 1,150 parking spaces.

IKEA West Sacramento will present 50 different room settings, four model homes, a supervised children's play area and a 250-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries or salmon plates, as well as American dishes. Other family-friendly features will include a Children's IKEA area in the showroom, baby care rooms, preferred parking and play areas throughout the store. In addition to 500 construction jobs, approximately 400 coworkers will join the IKEA family when the new store opens.

"Now with our walls up and painted, we are on track to be fully enclosed before the rainy season begins," observed Doug Greenholz, IKEA real estate manager. "Once we have completed construction of the building, we can begin the process of turning the shell into what our customers have come to appreciate as an IKEA store. We know there are many shoppers anxious for us to open." The closest IKEA stores are in Emeryville and East Palo Alto, CA, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

IKEA currently has more than 225 stores in 33 countries, including 26 in the U.S., where other stores are being planned in: Brooklyn, NY; Canton, MI; Dublin, CA; Portland, OR; Round Rock, TX; and Somerville, MA.

Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings and accessories of good design and function, at low prices so the majority of the people can afford them. For three consecutive years, IKEA has been named to Working Mother magazine's annual list of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" and Training magazine's annual "Top 100" ranking of companies that excel at human capital development - as well as to this year's FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. IKEA incorporates environmentally friendly efforts into day-to-day business and continuously 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 working at IKEA, please visit http://JobsAt.IKEA-usa.com.