Ikea to open 38th U.S. store in Denver area next week

Retailer will celebrate with giveaways, donations

Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, July 21, 2011

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Swedish home furnishings giant Ikea will open its 415,000-square-foot store here in greater Denver next Wednesday with giveaways for early birds and visits from state and area government leaders.

The store, Ikea's first in Colorado, 38th in the United State and 324th worldwide, includes some 10,000 items of furniture, housewares and other goods, 47 furnished room settings, three model homes, a 550-seat restaurant and a supervised play area.

Ikeas is inviting consumers to start lining up as early as two days before the July 27 opening for free giveaways including gift cards and merchandise. The first 38 adults in line get the retailer's Ektorp sofa, and its Poang armchair will go to the next 100 visitors. The first 100 will get a heart-shaped soft toy.

Another fun twist: In a Mile High Birthday promotion, visitors who bring proof their birthday falls on July 27 will receive a gift card valued at $52.80 — for the 5,280-foot elevation of the Denver area.

Visitors July 27-31 also can enter a drawing to win one of 10 $1,000 Ikea gift cards.

The retailer said it is matching the prizes with $10,000 donations each to Family Tree House of Hope, a charity helping families in the metro area overcome child abuse, domestic violence and homelessness, and Mi Casa Resource Center, which assists low-income families.

Ikea is No. 2 on Furniture/Today's Top 100 U.S. Furniture Stores with estimated U.S. furniture, bedding and accessories sales of $2.095 billion in its fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2010.