1.09.2007 - 05:16pm ET

(CSRwire) CONSHOHOCKEN, PA, January 9, 2007 — FORTUNE announced today that IKEA, the leading home furnishings retailer, has been ranked 96th on the 10th annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. IKEA also ranked 36th on the best large-sized company list. IKEA was cited by FORTUNE for opening 3-5 new stores each year in the US and adding from 1,500 – 2,500 coworkers. IKEA currently has 29 stores in the US and has recently provided hundreds of jobs in cities such as Austin, TX, Detroit, MI, and Sacramento, CA. The expansion and good company culture have clearly kept this retailer on FORTUNE’s ‘100 Best Companies To Work For’ list for three consecutive years.

“It’s an honor to be recognized again by this prestigious FORTUNE list,” said Pernille Lopez, president, IKEA North America. “Creating a better everyday life at work is key to our business model and to our success. To be recognized by our coworkers for doing this well is a good measure of our progress and all the more reason to continue to look at ways we can improve and grow.”

“Indeed, much has changed in the American workplace over the past decade. Back then 18 companies on FORTUNE’s list offered telecommuting; today 82 do. Only 28 companies on the list offered domestic partner benefits; now that number is 70. Competition to get on the list has intensified too: This year 446 public and private companies vied for a slot, up from 161 in 1998. And, 100,000 workers evaluated their employers, making this by far the largest simultaneous employee survey in corporate America,” per FORTUNE’s January 22 issue.

As part of its strong commitment to work/life balance, IKEA offers all co-workers family-friendly initiatives and diverse workplace benefits including eligibility for medical, dental, paid-time off, domestic partner/children coverage, generous 401(k) matching, and tuition assistance. Other benefits include: paid maternity/paternity leave and paid time off for child adoption; flexible work arrangements (job share, telecommuting and condensed work weeks); extensive professional development, training and mentoring programs; lactation rooms for nursing mothers; and discounts for weight loss and smoking cessation services. In addition, full-time co-workers are eligible for both short-term and long-term disability.

For four consecutive years, IKEA has been named to Working Mother magazine’s list of ‘100 Best Companies for Working Mothers.’ IKEA employs over 11,000 coworkers in the United States and 110,000 globally.

"The 100 Best Companies to Work For" list is compiled for FORTUNE by Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz of the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco, based on two criteria: an evaluation of the policies and culture of each company, and the opinions of the company's employees. The latter is given more weight; two-thirds of the total score comes from employee responses to a 57-question survey which goes to a minimum of 400 randomly selected employees from each company. More than 100,000 employees from 446 companies participated in the survey this year. It asks about things such as attitudes towards management, job satisfaction, and camaraderie within the organization. The remaining one-third of the score is based on an evaluation of each company's demographic makeup, pay and benefits programs, and culture. Companies are scored in four areas: credibility (communication to employees), respect (opportunities and benefits), fairness (compensation, diversity), and pride/camaraderie (philanthropy, celebrations). Companies that are at least seven years old and have 1,000 or more employees are eligible for the list. Information about applying for the next list can be found at www.greatplacetowork.com

About IKEA

IKEA places great value on life at home. A comforting spot where family and friends gather, where children learn and grow. A place where laughter is constant. And everyone is welcome to just hang out. An IKEA home is not about bricks and mortar. It’s about beauty, joy and security. Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings and accessories of good design and functional living solutions at prices so low that the majority of the people can afford them. Currently there are more than 250 IKEA stores in 34 countries, including 29 in the U.S., where IKEA plans to open three - five stores a year. IKEA has been named to BusinessWeek’s List of The Best Global Brands (August 7, 2006) and for four consecutive years, Working Mother magazine’s annual list of the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers,” as well as five consecutive years, Training magazine’s annual list of top companies that excel at human capital development . Additionally, IKEA has been on FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for three straight years. IKEA recently received the Foreign Policy Association Award for Global Corporate Social Responsibility. IKEA incorporates environmentally friendly efforts into day-to-day business and continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment including UNICEF, Save the Children and American Forests. To visit the IKEA Web site, please go to www.IKEA-usa.com

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