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I believe it's reasonable. First of all, IKEA is not an American Corporation. Remember this before going on the rich get richer tirade. It's an imported chain that does well in this country. On that note it provides jobs, and draws people in from nearby. I know of people personally that will drive 30 miles one way to go to the closest IKEA. I'd imagine some folks probably drive even further.
Also, big businesses bring other big businesses. Best Buy and Circuit City and JC Penney's and several restaurant chains all use the same marketing groups that study areas that are ripe to provide them with business. It's more purposeful than one might think that those types of stores are generally bundled together despite being competitors. If an IKEA goes in, then maybe a Lowe's follows. With a Lowe's and an IKEA, maybe some chain restaurants land nearby. Well, with this type of shopping, a strip mall or two opens up and maybe a small commercial district for local offices. This brings in more money and more people. These people need entertainment, so a new movie theatre and additional restaurants pop up bringing more money into the local economy and more jobs. Now all this turns into a mall area, and perhaps a legitimate mall forms with department stores. Ad Nauseum...
So... how is this BAD for a town?
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