A Swedish 'Midsummer Night's Dream' Come True: It's Official - IKEA Atlanta Will Open on June 29, 2005.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Penn. -- IKEA, the world's leading home furnishings retailer, today announced that its Atlanta, GA store will open this Summer on Wednesday, June 29, 2005. The store will be the Swedish company's 23rd in the U.S. and first in the Southeast. Until IKEA Atlanta opens, the closest IKEA stores are in Houston, TX and Woodbridge, VA.

"Because of the significant progress made before Winter and the accomplishments so far this Spring, we are confident our remaining construction milestones and interior build-up process will be complete by mid-Summer," noted Lynda Mee, store manager of the future IKEA Atlanta. Mee added, "right now our primary objective is to continue hiring and training the approximately 500 Georgians who will be joining the IKEA coworker family before we open on June 29."

Currently under construction on 15-acres in Midtown Atlanta's mixed-use Atlantic Station development just off the I-75/85 connector, the 366,000 square-foot IKEA Atlanta will present 50 different room settings, four model homes, a supervised children's play area, as well as a 350-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries or salmon plates or American dishes too. Other family-friendly features include a Children's IKEA area in the showroom, baby care rooms, preferred parking and play areas throughout the store.

IKEA currently has more than 210 stores in 32 countries, including 22 in the U.S., where other stores being planned will be in: Bolingbrook, IL; Brooklyn, NY; Canton, MI; Dublin, CA; Frisco, TX; Somerville, MA; Stoughton, MA; and West Sacramento, CA.

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 named - for two years in a row - to Working Mother magazine's annual list of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers," and this year to Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For." IKEA is recognized as a socially responsible company, 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.