LET IKEA DO YOUR LAUNDRY

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MEDIA ALERT

BAG YOUR DIRTY CLOTHES AND LET IKEA DO YOUR LAUNDRY

Laundry service offered to students who've left the family home

WHO: IKEA CANADA

WHAT: IKEA stores across the country are offering free laundry service to

young Canadian students who have moved away from home.

WHEN: Tuesday September 17, 2002 @ 10am local time

WHERE: IKEA NORTH YORK (15 Provost Drive)

IKEA ETOBICOKE (1475 The Queensway)

IKEA BURLINGTON (1065 Plains Road East)

WHY: Having recently launched 'Empty Your Nest', a tongue-in-cheek guide

to nudging grown children out of the family home, IKEA is offering laundry

service as a conciliatory gesture to all young Canadians who've ever been

urged to spread their wings and fly the coop.

Based on a recent IKEA survey of 300 young Canadians, the 12-step guide

offers parents such advice as 'unleash your inner rock star' (a nod to

the 48% of respondents who admit they'd be irritated if their parent

started cranking up the volume on their favourite tunes). Another tip -

'make Sunday dinner unpronounceable' - was inspired by the clear majority

of young adults (65%) who prefer comfort foods to exotic dishes when

dining at the family table.

But why the laundry service? During the course of researching the guide,

IKEA also discovered washing and folding clothes to be among young

people's least favourite chores.

HOW: The first 100 students (valid and current student card required) in

line will get up to 10 lbs. of dirty clothes laundered for free.

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For further information and event details:

Peter Ashworth/Kristina Beesley

(416) 603-6005

ashworth.associates@sympatico.ca