Ikea cagey about opening date for first NZ store this year
Global furniture giant Ikea is due to open its first New Zealand store in Auckland some time this year, but has not yet told Auckland Council when.
Ikea said it was still on track to open at Sylvia Park and had so far employed 85 of the 500 staff it needed.
Within at least two months of opening, Ikea has to provide the council with an opening date and managment plan, but a council spokesperson confirmed it was still waiting to receive this information.
The consent conditions for the big box retailer required it to submit an plan that detailed how it would manage the anticipated crowds expected to drive there.
"No less than two months prior to the scheduled opening date of the Ikea store, the consent holder must prepare and submit a store opening management plan to Auckland Council for written certification," the consent decision stated.
"The purpose of the plan is to set out the measures to be adopted to manage effects on the transportation network during the first three months following the opening of the store."
Ikea has yet to announce its opening day, but indicated it would be in time for Christmas.
The council indicated that, before an official store opening, it wanted Ikea to open online to manage anticipated demand and have a soft opening to test traffic management.
It advised Ikea to avoid opening on public holidays, Fridays, weekends, Black Friday or Boxing Day.
The council asked Ikea to provide details about "incentives to travel to the site by transport modes other than private vehicle, such as bus, train and active modes", as well as "comprehensive information provided to the public on travel routes to and from the store".
Ikea must provide at least 54 bicycle parks and 543 carparks, and submit a travel plan to the council that shows how it would encourage employees and customers to use public transport, walk or cycle to the store.
Construction began on the 34,000sq m store in 2023 and the iconic blue building is taking shape at Sylvia Park.
The ground level will be a carpark, with the store spread across two floors, including its Swedish restaurant that will sell meatballs and hotdogs. The retailer is still recruiting for its anticipated.
Ikea people and culture manager Lauren Clegg said 15,000 people had applied for advertised roles by the end of May.
She said 85 people had been employed so far and more roles would be advertised this month, attracting thousands of applicants.
"There does seem to be a lot of people that are between jobs at the moment or struggling to get into work," she said. "I think we're in a really tough time in New Zealand, with the market at the moment, and that's probably contributing to some of our numbers."
Clegg said the Ikea opening had caused excitement.
"We're definitely on track to open late 2025, but the exact opening date is very under wraps for now."
Ikea would continue to release and advertise for roles until November.
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