CANTON, MI-IKEA plans to start building its first Detroit-area store here in the spring and anticipates a summer 2006 opening date for the unit. The Swedish retailer is building the 306,000-sf store on the site of a former Kmart.

The unit will be IKEA's third in the Midwest. The company operates a store in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, IL and is building its second store in that metro area in Bolingbrook, IL, which it expects to open next fall.

"From looking at license plates in the parking lot at our store in Schaumburg, IL, we know there are already IKEA customers in Michigan who would visit more frequently," says Pat Smith, the company's real estate director, in a statement. "We have been looking quite a while for the right location and now we have found it."

The new store will feature four model homes showcasing its items, 60 room settings, a children's play area and a 300-seat restaurant. IKEA will hire about 300 people for its Detroit-area location.

The retailer currently operates 21 stores in the US and about 200 worldwide. New US stores it has planned include units in Atlanta, Brooklyn, NY; Frisco, TX among others across the country. Last year the Swedish retailer announced a 10-year plan calling for five new stores a year in North America.