Ikea moves up date of South Florida debut

Ikea Group, the word’s largest home-furnishings retailer, will open a Miami-Dade store ahead of projections, according to New Times.

The 47,000-square-foot location will stock nearly 10,000 pieces of furniture, kitchenware, toys and decorative art, and feature three model home interiors and a supervised children’s play area, the paper reported.

Ikea closed on a $31.5 million deal in November 2012, as The Real Deal reported at the time, for what will be its 39th U.S. location.

The 15-acre site will neighbor the Dolphin Mall at the intersection of Dolphin Expressway and Florida’s Turnpike.

Without any acknowledgement of its recent horse-meat scandal, Ikea also announced plans to offer a 600-seat Swedish restaurant at the site, and could have openings for as many as 350 jobs, according to the weekly paper. The Swedish company expects to make its South Florida debut in the summer of 2014. [New Times] –Emily Schmall