STØR Furnishings International Inc. an American furniture chain based in City of Industry, CA, 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".
IKEA filed a lawsuit against the company shortly after opening, claiming copyright infringement, and was settled in 1988 with STØR being forced to change the layout of their stores and advertising. STØR was acquired by IKEA in 1992.
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
Tustin, CA - The first STØR location and one of the very first stores to open in the, then new, Tustin Marketplace. IKEA began operations in its place after the buyout and continued there until a new IKEA was opened in Costa Mesa, CA. The former space now houses a Best Buy.
City of Industry, CA - This location also operated for some time as an IKEA after the buyout. In 2003, it was replaced by a new location in Covina, CA.
Torrance, CA - 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.
Houston, TX - 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.
