Construction of IKEA Portland Progresses With Walls Now Up

February 11, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on February 2007 Swedish Retailer’s 2nd Pacific Northwest Store on Track to Open Summer 2007

PORTLAND, OR – IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today noted that all major walls have been raised for its future store opening this summer in Portland, OR. Under construction on nearly 19 acres at the southwestern corner of I-205 and Airport Way, the 280,000 square-foot IKEA Portland will include approximately 1,200 parking spaces and 75 bicycle racks, as well as a light-rail station in front of the store, providing convenient access for coworkers as well as for customers, who may use the home delivery service IKEA offers.

The store is slated to open Summer 2007 at the eastern end of Cascade Station, a 120-acre mixed use development of office, hotel and retail buildings in a pedestrian-friendly environment adjacent to the Portland International Airport. Until then, customers can shop at the Seattle-area IKEA store in Renton, WA or online at www.IKEA-USA.com.

“With our foundation poured and our walls raised, we are proud that we are well on our way to a grand opening this summer,” observed Pat Merwin, IKEA real estate manager. “With steel and the roof going up next, we hope to be fully enclosed by Spring 2007. We know there are many shoppers anxious for us to open.”

IKEA Portland will present 50 different room settings, three complete 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. Family-friendly features 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, 300 coworkers will join the IKEA family when the new store opens.

Candidates interested in working at this employer of choice should look online (www.IKEA-USA.com) for all positions available at the future IKEA Portland store, where they soon can apply for diverse positions available in: home furnishings sales, interior decoration, customer service, safety and security, cashiers, maintenance, goods flow, receiving, warehouse and stock replenishment. Also, setting itself apart from other retailers in the area, IKEA Portland will offer – among the 300 total positions to be hired for the store – approximately 80 food service opportunities in its Restaurant, Swedish Foodmarket, Café Bistro and coworker cafeteria.

There currently are more than 250 IKEA stores in 34 countries, including 29 in the U.S., where other U.S. stores are being planned in: Brooklyn, NY; Charlotte, NC; Draper, UT; Orlando, FL; Somerville, MA; Sunrise, FL; and West Chester, OH. 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 the people can afford them. IKEA has been ranked in FORTUNE’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” List (three years in a row), Working Mother magazine’s annual list of “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” (four years in a row) and Training magazine’s annual “Top 100” ranking of companies that excel at human capital development (four years in a row). IKEA incorporates environmentally friendly and socially responsible efforts into day-to-day business, and continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment. For the IKEA Web Site or for information about working at IKEA, please go to www.IKEA-USA.com