By city of Surprise

The Surprise Economic Development Department is “rolling” out a social media campaign on Swedish Meatball Day Aug. 23, aimed at attracting IKEA, one of the community’s most sought-after retailers.

The city released its campaign kickoff video, showcasing the overwhelming support from Surprise residents for IKEA’s presence in the city.

IKEA is a most-wanted retailer, according to the annual Surprise Retail Survey, which asks residents what businesses they most want to see next in their community.

In 2023, over 5,300 residents responded, and for the second year in a row IKEA landed among the Top 10 most wanted.

This, coupled with the recent news that the company is looking to open 17 new stores in the U.S., was enough to get the creative juices flowing in Surprise.

The “Surprise Loves IKEA” ­campaign will also include several fun and original social media posts throughout the day showcasing the city’s unique attributes, vibrant community, thriving business environment and its immense love of IKEA Swedish Meatballs.

Arizona Honorary Consul to Sweden, Mikael Örn, will even be at Surprise City Hall to receive a proclamation of Swedish Meatball Day from Mayor Skip Hall.

The Surprise Economic Development Department enjoys unique social media strategies and previously conducted an award-winning “Costco…It’s Your Birthday” campaign from 2016 to 2019, which was ultimately followed by an announcement that the company decided to build a new location in the city.

“Amazing companies like Costco and IKEA are constantly being pursued by hundreds, if not thousands, of municipalities across the world. This is a unique way to stand out from the crowd,” said Surprise Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic. “While it’s never a guarantee that a new location will result, its sure fun to try – and most importantly demonstrate to the residents that we’re doing all that we can to attract the retailers they want.”

Follow these social media accounts to join in on the #SurpriseLovesIKEAMeatballs campaign:

Visit surpriseaz.gov/econdev.