Ikea prepares US expansion blitz with Dallas store

Ikea is gearing up for further growth in the US with an expanded presence in Texas.

The home furnishings retailer will build a 310,000 sq ft (28,800 sq m) store near Dallas to open in summer 2005. An existing store in Houston will move to an adjacent site, doubling in size to approximately 300,000 sq ft (27,870 sq m).

Ikea is also pondering a third store in the state, where it believes it can benefit from the high level of home construction.

The retailer has 18 US stores and plans to open five a year over the next 10 years, including its first New York store. Each US store makes sales of approximately US$70 million (£38.6 million) a year.