The Swedish are coming! The Swedish are coming!

Soon, all of our living rooms will look the same. Our hot-dog-shilling friends at IKEA are planning a China takeover. They are opening a new Asia distribution center in Shanghai and plan to have 10 China stores within the next three years. IKEA -- famous for "affordable solutions for better living" -- already has stores in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. New stores are planned for Chengdu, Shenzhen and Nanjing. In 2006, IKEA plans to open its first two outlets in Japan, as well.

In slightly related news, Shanghaiist knew a woman in Philadelphia who named her daughter "Ikea." She was not Swedish.

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In Shanghai, it’s always Black Friday at IKEA (Shanghai Diaries)