IKEA to open in October - Sunrise Location

Get ready, South Florida IKEA fans. Opening day for the Sunrise store is likely between six and eight weeks away.

IKEA spokesman Joseph Roth said Wednesday that plans are on target for an opening during the second half of October. Considering the Swedish home furnishing retailer typically opens its stores on a Wednesday, that leaves October 17, 24 or 31 to pencil on the calendar.

''We're not at a point to commit to a date,'' Roth said. ``Once we commit to a date, we don't change. We have to make sure the store meets the IKEA standards. This is an important state for us and we want to make sure we get it right the first time.''

IKEA will be making a strong entry into Florida this fall, since it also announced Wednesday that the Orlando store will open on Nov. 14. The reason the company has been unable to commit to a firm date on Sunrise is because there are more ''complicated'' details such as the onsite multi-level parking garage and the construction of adjacent stores.

But a tour of the IKEA site Wednesday offers a glimpse of what's to come when the retailer opens the doors of its trademark blue and yellow building to reveal the collection of cheap, chic furniture and home accessories.

More than 100 employees are already working at the two-story store and warehouse, busy doing everything from assembling furniture to unloading pallets. For the past three weeks, the store has been getting three to four truckloads of merchandise a day.

As things get down to the home stetch, construction workers over the next two or three weeks will put the finishing touches on the building's facade, elevators and plumbing systems. Outside, there is landscaping and signage to be installed.

''We have everything down to a science,'' Roth said. On opening day, IKEA will carry about 9,000 items. Right now only about 25 percent of them have arrived and the warehouse is at less than 20 percent of the capacity that will eventually hold about 5,000 pallets.

Inside, as employees finish assembling the furniture, they are arranging the 50 room settings or three model homes, designed to show customers ways to utilize the IKEA furniture and accessories to meet any style, budget and space demands.

Then comes the job of adding accessories to the room settings and labeling everything with pricing and information about the location in the warehouse for pick-up. ''Building furniture is the best way to learn about the IKEA product,'' said Peter Steinweg, the Sunrise store manager and an IKEA employee since 1994. ``We want our coworkers to be experienced in building the furniture so they can give you tips.''

In the downstairs area known as the Marketplace, cartons of insulated coffee pots, rugs, glasses and light fixtures are already open, stacked and waiting for customers. But in between sit empty palettes with signs announcing what merchandise goes there. ''As soon as it comes in, all we have to do is open the box and put it out on the floor,'' Steinweg said.

IKEA has already hired about 300 employees for the Sunrise store, many of whom have been sent to other store locations for training. Over the next week, IKEA will be finishing its hiring, adding between 100 and 150 more employees. Anyone who is interested should apply online at

www.ikea.com.

''If they want to be on board by the time we open, this is the last hiring push,'' Steinweg said.