Ref. 75888-07A LIKELY site for Ikea could be the Carfax Street area of Swindon.

It has been confirmed that the Swedish superstore is one of the groups interested in land at the Old Post Office, currently owned by the New Swindon Company.

The possible site could also include the Swindon NHS Walk-In Centre, the Carfax Street car park, and Davis House homeless shelter.

Ikea is hoping to do this in partnership with the New Swindon Company, which has earmarked the whole area for regeneration.

Rosemary Wells, director of business development at the New Swindon Company, said: "As we start to look at the redevelopment of the town centre, Ikea is one of the people who have expressed an interest.

"We are in the process of going out to select a master planner for that area and then we will be going out to public consultation."

Mrs Wells stressed that the plans were in their early stages and nothing was concrete.

Swindon Council, which owns the car park, could not confirm or deny whether Ikea would be moving into the Carfax Street area. Jemima Milton, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "It would be great if Ikea came to the town, but there is no firm proposal on the table."

Major David Coates, of the Salvation Army, which runs Davis House, had not heard about the possible interest in the site.

He said: "It's total news to me, but having said that, it would not really affect us as we are preparing to move to Princes Street by mid-2007 if everything goes all right.

"I think Ikea would be good for the town as a lot of people would be interested in it.

"Most of Ikea's stores are in out-of-centre retail parks, so I don't know how it would work traffic-wise having it in the town centre."

The NHS Walk-in Centre is run by the Swindon Primary Care Trust.

Pauline Macdonald, the assistant director of primary care, said: "The PCT is discussing with the New Swindon Company what the plans are for the future development of the area.

"Obviously, we want to make sure that we keep health care facilities in the centre of town." she added.

Store facts

Eleven Ikea stores have opened in Britain since 1987 the first was in Manchester.

There are 143 stores in 22 countries around the world, as well as 20 stores run under franchise. In total 260 million people visited an Ikea store last year.

The chain, founded in Sweden in 1943 by 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad, has become known for environmentally-friendly policies.

The first product range contained no furniture at all. Instead Kamprad sold various products from pens, table runners over jewellery to nylon stockings. Soon the young businessman thought of a new possibility of selling his goods. Using a simple catalogue, he started a mail-order system. Logistical problems were solved quickly. Kamprad delivered the articles in the local county milk van.

The first furniture catalogue was published in 1951.

When the Bristol store opened in 1999 there were two-mile queues on the M32 and police officers directing traffic had to wear masks because of choking fumes.

During his teens, Kamprad attended some pro-Nazi meetings. When this was uncovered in 1994, Kamprad said: "This is part of my life I bitterly regret. After a couple of meetings in pure Nazi style, I quit." In a letter to employees titled "The Greatest Mistake of My Life", he asked forgiveness, and devoted two chapters to it in his 1998 book, The History of Ikea.