IKEA New Zealand Store Dominates Global Food Sales in Opening Month

IKEA's first New Zealand store has welcomed more than 500,000 visitors in its first 30 days, with the megastore at Auckland's Sylvia Park surpassing expectations across foot traffic, food sales, and digital engagement, the company says. The Swedish homeware giant made its long-awaited arrival in Aotearoa on December 4. IKEA Sylvia Park marketing manager Johanna Cederlöf said the opening month had delivered an "extraordinary response from New Zealanders", with the store recording 28,780 shoppers on its busiest day, and another 1.9 million people visiting online. Cederlöf said New Zealand’s enthusiasm had helped the Sylvia Park store rank number one globally for IKEA food sales during the period. More than 54,000 hot dogs and 28,000 plates of meatballs were served, and demand for the chain’s signature lingonberry jam was so high the store temporarily sold out. "More has arrived, don’t worry," she added. Shoppers snapped up more than 50,000 FRAKTA bags and 40,000 OFTAST white plates, priced at 95 cents each. Digital engagement also exceeded expectations, she said, with 186,000 people signing up for the IKEA Family loyalty programme and 141,000 app downloads in the first month. Cederlöf said the Auckland store had achieved the highest in‑store digital tool usage per customer of any IKEA worldwide, describing Kiwi shoppers as "really advanced digital people". But it wasn't all plain sailing for the store in its opening weeks, with a number of customers left frustrated. One man said he had only the legs of a desk delivered and was charged $79, while another was charged $69 shipping for dining chair stickers. In December, the store said it would shut its customer support centre for a period to focus on resolving outstanding issues. To meet demand, the company has expanded its local workforce to more than 550 staff, including 85 new hires since opening. Cederlöf said 98% of workers were recruited locally and were completely new to the brand. "I am so proud of how quickly our co‑workers have learnt on the job and adapted to fast renewal and improvement for our customers’ needs," she said. Cederlöf thanked New Zealanders for "embracing IKEA" and said the team was focused on delivering the best possible experience as the store settles into its first year.