Ikea Announces Location Of 1st Ohio Store

It appears Ohio's first Ikea store won't be in Cleveland.
Swedish home furnishings retailer Ikea will build its new superstore in a 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.
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 that 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.
Ikea in June opened a store in Canton Township, Mich., about 30 miles west of Detroit.
The privately held company, which had global sales of $18.3 billion last year, now has 237 locations in 34 countries, with 28 U.S. stores.

Cleveland shoppers can still drive to the store in the Pittsburgh area.