STØR

STØR Furnishings International Inc. was an American furniture chain based in City of Industry, California, that opened in 1987. It sold European-style furniture and ready-to-assemble furnishings. Advertisements for the chain ended with the statement "STØR: without the 'E'". One such advertisement patterned after the "tastes great [vs.] less filling" Miller Lite slogan featured two such tradeoffs, "furniture [vs.] accessories" and "low prices [vs.] style".

For Short Term Operating Reserve, see National Grid Reserve Service.

IKEA filed a lawsuit against the company shortly after opening, claiming copyright infringement,[1] and was settled in 1988 with STØR being forced to change the layout of their stores and advertising.[2] STØR was acquired by IKEA in 1992.[3]

A 1992 episode of The Simpsons called "Lisa the Beauty Queen" references STØR in a parody called "SHØP" which features a STØR-style building in IKEA's colors.

Locations
  • City of Industry, California - This location also operated for some time as an IKEA after the buyout. In 2003, it was replaced by a new location in Covina, California.
  • Tustin - The second STØR location and one of the very first stores to open in the then-new Tustin Marketplace. The Catchphrase with the new location was "We're Two Big". IKEA began operations in its place after the buyout and continued there until a new IKEA was opened in Costa Mesa. The former space now houses a Best Buy store.
  • Torrance, California - Located in the former Ohrbach's location at Del Amo Fashion Center, this store was the last location to close. IKEA used this location as a clearance center for STØR branded merchandise that it could not sell in its own locations. Plans for IKEA to own the store as a general one never saw the light of day after operating a location at the nearby SouthBay Pavilion mall in Carson.
  • Houston, Texas - The Houston STØR location was a franchised location. When the brand was purchased by IKEA, this store continued operating under the same franchise agreement, becoming one of only a few independently franchised IKEA locations in the world.[4]

References
  1. "Stor opens store No. 2, despite foreign lawsuit".
  2. " "Swedes smell success: Ikea plans to challenge Stor furniture stores".
  3. "Observers hail Stor-Ikea merger".
  4. "IKEA Group corporate site: about us". Archived from the original on 2007-10-24.
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