WEST CHESTER, Ohio (AFX) - Swedish home furnishings retailer Ikea will build its first Ohio store in this Cincinnati suburb, the company said Tuesday.
A 339,000-square-foot store is planned on 56 acres near Interstate 75, about 25 miles north of Cincinnati. The store is expected to open in fall 2007.
IKEA said it would be selling about six acres for retail and restaurant uses.
The store will offer 10,000 items, ranging from kitchen cabinets and sofas to coat hangers and potholders. Ikea stated in a press release that besides construction work, the store will employ some 400 people.
The store will include three model homes, a children's play area and a 300-seat restaurant, the company said.
Ikea's stores are built around a do-it-yourself model the company says helps keep its prices low. Customers view furniture in room settings put together by designers and then pick up the items they want in a self-serve warehouse. Much of the furniture requires assembly.
The privately held Ikea International AS, which had global sales of $18.3 billion last year, now has 237 locations in 34 countries, with 28 U.S. stores.
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