Immediate Release
Randi Brightman
(212) 645-6900 x149
randi@jerichopr.com
IKEA INTRODUCES A NEW WAY TO THINK ABOUT SPACE WITH THE LAUNCH OF ITS 2003 CATALOG:THINK CUBIC!
IKEA Brings to Life “Think Cubic” Concept with Two Traveling Mobile Units that Benefit a Worthy Cause

NEW YORK – IKEA, the leading home furnishings retailer, announced today the Iaunch of its 2003 Catalog, which emphasizes a new design approach to space – Think Cubic! This approach helps empower consumers to look at a space three-dimensionally and no longer feel limited to square feet. As a result, it is possible to significantly increase the size of an apartment, loft, house, mansion or dorm room by simply thinking cubic.

“The best way to understand our new Think Cubic approach to space is to go to a room in your home that could use a bit more space, lie flat on your back and look up,” said Lena Simonsson-Berge, Marketing Manager, IKEA U.S. “You will see lots of beautiful, unused space; space that’s been hiding in plain sight behind doors, up walls and under beds. We strive to help consumers live better and by approaching space using the entire width, depth and height of the home leaves more space for living and the multiple tasks and functions that we all do in the rooms of our home.”

IKEA visually brings to life the Think Cubic concept in its new 344-page 2003 Catalog, as well as with two traveling mobile units (approximately 20-feet and 28-feet long), which highlight a new way of thinking and show how to maximize space. At every stop that the IKEA Think Cubic mobile units make during its travels, consumers can help IKEA raise money toward a worthy cause. IKEA will donate $1.00 to Habitat for Humanity, which is dedicated to providing affordable housing to families, for every new 2003 Catalog that is distributed at the Think Cubic mobile units “stops”.

The launch of the Think Cubic concept emphasized in the new 2003 Catalog and the IKEA Think Cubic traveling mobile units begins on Tuesday, August 20 at Union Square Park (Broadway and 17th Street) in New York City. Passersby are welcome to stop by and check out the mobile units and discover how to Think Cubic. Everyone will also have a chance to win free IKEA gift certificates and product giveaways. The next stops for the IKEA Think Cubic traveling mobile units will be in Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

Facts About the IKEA Catalog

* IKEA started in 1943 as a one-man mail-order business in Sweden by the 17-year-old visionary, Ingvar Kamprad, who grew up on a farm called Elmtaryd in the parish of Agunnaryd, and delivered small items such as matches and pens via the local milk route.
* Today, the IKEA Catalog is the largest distributed catalog in the world with a reach of more than 110 million people globally. The Catalog is valid for a full year and available annually in September in 43 editions, 24 different languages and in 32 different countries. Catalog prices are guaranteed not to increase while the Catalog is valid.
* The first IKEA Catalog was distributed in the U.S. in 1985, and today, the new 2003 Catalog features approximately 4,000 different home furnishings and accessories.
* The Catalog is printed on recyclable paper and does not use optical brighteners in the paper. In addition, no rainforest or old-growth fibers are used. The pre-press process is 100% digital, which means no film is used and none of the associated chemicals.
* Products featured in the IKEA Catalog and IKEA stores often have names with a Scandinavian origin. For example, upholstery, coffee tables, rattan furniture and bookshelves are frequently assigned names of Swedish places; beds, wardrobes and hall furniture are known to be named after Norwegian places; garden furnishings are named after Swedish islands; bathroom articles tend to be names of Scandinavian lakes, rivers and bays; and covers, quilts and pillows are bestowed with Swedish names of flowers, plants and precious stones.

Since its founding in 1943, IKEA has offered a wide range of home furnishings and accessories of good design and function, at prices so low that the majority of the people can afford them. IKEA is recognized as a socially responsible company, and continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment. Currently, IKEA has 171 stores in 31 countries, including 15 stores in the United States and nine stores in Canada. To visit the IKEA Web site, please go to http://www.ikea-us.com.