" IKEA Funabashi" Opens in Minami Funabashi

The first IKEA store in Japan

IKEA Japan K.K. opened IKEA Funabashi, its first store in Japan on 24th 　April, 2006. The opening ceremony was attended by Mikael Lindstrom, Ambassador of Sweden, Akiko Domoto, Governor of Chiba, Koshichi Fujishiro, Mayor of Funabashi, and Anders Dahlvig, President a CEO of the IKEA Group. The traditional log sawing was conducted by Koshichi
Fujishiro, and Gordon Gustavsson, IKEA Funabashi Store Manager.

IKEA Funabashi is situated 5 minutes walking distance from Minami Funabashi station (JR Keiyo a Musashino Line), The store is 5 stories high with parking for 2200 cars, the IKEA Japan office and day care centre for employees children are situated on the 5th level. IKEA Funabashi has 600 coworkers.

IKEA, the Home Furnishing Company from Sweden was established in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad who expanded the business into 34 countries and 233 stores, with total sales of 14.8
billion euro (AS of 31 =t August, 2005).

The customer who makes queue from morning of opening of shop day

IKEA has a vision "To create a better everyday life for the many people" by offering various solutions for furnishing your home in the catalogue and the in-store showroom. Prior to the Japan launch, IKEA has visited more than one hundred Japanese homes in order to understand the way of living and the challenges which occur in everyday life in Japan. These experiences led IKEA to create more than 70 Japanese sized room sets, giving ideas for living in small spaces.

IKEA offers functional, well designed products at affordable prices. The products are developed and designed by IKEA designers. 25'/. of the products are renewed every year. The design and the product development starts with the low price, packed in flat packages to lower logistics costs.

Then customers have to select, pick up, transport, and assemble the products by themselves, this whole process enables IKEA to provide good quality products at very competitive prices. IKEA can provide home delivery, assembly, and recycling services from the store.

IKEA plans to open 4-6 stores in Kanto and 4-6 stores in Kansai area in the future.

• ＜IKEA Japan K.K＞
• IKEA Funabashi 5F, 2-3-30 Hamacho Funabashi-shi, Chiba 273-0012, Japan
• ＵＲＬ　http://www.ikea.com/ms/ja_JP/

Japanese

（2006/04/25）