Log-cutting marks opening of Ikea
Seconds latter an estimated 1,000 people, some having camped out the previous night, ran a gauntlet of cheering Swedish flag waving store workers to view the bookcases and sofas.
An ABBA cover band blasted out Money, Money, Money.
About 3,000 people poured through the doors in the first hour with the majority of the 1,850 car spaces at the store filled – the feared congestion on approach roads not having materialised.
However, the 31,500 square metre store – the size of five and a half football pitches – was well able to accommodate them all, by midday only six of the a long row of checkouts having opened.
First in the queue was bleary-eyed Stacey Harcourt, from nearby Ballymun in the north of the city, who, along with her five friends, had camped outside the store since 4.30pm Sunday afternoon.
“I’m knackered now, absolutely knackered,” she said.
The 26-year-old mother-to-be, who declared herself an avid fan of the retailer, was hoping to pick up a nest of tables, a bed and some bits and bobs for her new arrival, expected in December.
“We’ve been playing charades. We had two tents out there and we had friends coming over giving us food. We were out at the gates. We didn’t sleep, we were basically keeping ourselves entertained by playing games.”
And the six were rewarded for their dedication with a €500 voucher to splurge in the new store.
The Veltoms, from Shankill, south Dublin, was the first family in the huge shop, led by beaming mother Catherine.
The winner of a €500 bedroom makeover and a €500 store voucher, she was clutching flowers and was a little overwhelmed by all the attention.
“I really didn’t know what to expect. I’ll have a good look and see what’s there,” she said.
Further down the queue, Ikea lovers Lydia Thornton, 40, and Ella Daly, 28, met for the first time at about 7am and had been chatting ever since.
“I am a fool. I am an Ikea nerd, I think,” said Ms Thornton, an architect who travelled from Co Waterford last night for the launch.
Ms Daly, who came from Limerick, joked: “I came yesterday and did an 8km walk in Glendalough to prepare myself mentally for the biggest shop in Ireland.”
Shelly Moran, 23, and friend Karen Buckley, 24, from Santry, cut a dash as Abba lookalikes, and their efforts paid off after they won a €10 voucher.
Ms Buckley has just bought an apartment in Malahide and the friends were hoping to stock up on supplies.
“We thought we were mad this morning but we already got prizes, a voucher for Ikea. We’re dressed as Abba as they’re Swedish.
“We’ll just browse today and see what they have. We’ve never been to Ikea before.” Although many of the customers were local, out of the 480 staff only an estimated 80 are from the adjacent Ballymun, which despite a massive regeneration scheme still shows the scares of decades of economic and social neglect.
All of the stores 1,900 items are designed and imported from Ikea’s home town of Älmhult in Sweden.
While Ikea is unlikely to do little to alleviate the recession, store manager Garry Deakin is upbeat. “Of course Ikea would like to have been here five years ago, not only because of the Tiger economy but also the amount of apartments and starter homes being build then, they are so Ikea.
“However if we bought this land today we would still build tomorrow, you can see from the size of this store Ikea are here for the long haul.”
One north-sider, Jer O’Leary was less welcoming. He summed up his feelings towards the razzmatazz of the Ikea’s long awaited arrival; “It’s bread and circuses, an attempt to divert people from what’s important – just another multinational here for the short term buck which will once again see native production suffer.”
Gardaí, Fingal County Council and Ikea will implement a traffic management plan to deal with the large number of vehicles expected in the first week.
The superstore, which will not open until 11am midweek as part of strict planning rules, will also be served by Dublin Bus routes from the city centre.
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