Before You Plan Thanksgiving, Practice Your Swedish; IKEA Stoughton Will Open on November 9, 2005.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. -- IKEA, the world's leading home furnishings retailer, today announced its Stoughton, MA store will open on Wednesday, November 9, 2005. The store will be the Swedish company's first in Massachusetts, second in New England and 26th in the U.S. (IKEA New Haven, CT - at the intersection of I-95 and I-91 - opened last summer and already is drawing customers from throughout the region.)

"Because of the significant progress made during winter and the accomplishments so far this summer, we are confident our remaining milestones and interior build-up process will be complete by November," noted Frank Briel, store manager of the future IKEA Stoughton. Briel added, "right now our primary objective is to continue hiring and training the almost 500 Bay Staters who will be joining the IKEA family before we open."

Under construction along Route 24, the 346,000 square-foot IKEA Stoughton will feature 50 different room settings, three model homes, a supervised children's play area, and a 300-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries, as well as salmon platters, and even American dishes too. 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.

IKEA currently has more than 215 stores in 33 countries, including 24 in the U.S., where other stores being planned will be located in: Bolingbrook, IL; Brooklyn, NY; Canton, MI; Dublin, CA; Round Rock, TX; Somerville, 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 ranked in FORTUNE's annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" List, Working Mother magazine's annual list of "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" (two years in a row) and Training magazine's annual "Top 100" ranking of companies that excel at human capital development (three years in a row). 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.