HUNDREDS of people lined up two hours before the doors of Ikea opened at 9am to get their first glimpse of the Swedish homewares’ second Queensland store.
The large crowds were matched at an earlier opening of Kmart inside Westfield North Lakes’ new mall extension.
With the large crowds, came traffic headaches for commuters and shoppers. Travelling north, traffic was at a standstill on the Bruce Highway between the North Lakes exit and Pine River Bridge about 8am, but soon cleared.
Anzac Ave in both directions was also busy.
Shoppers seemingly avoided paid parking that was introduced last week, by parking in the surrounding streets and in surrounding businesses more than 500m away while many carparks in the centre’s new multistorey carpark were vacant.
At Ikea, Barbara Rainey and her daughter Tamara Honeyman, of Redcliffe, were the first in the line, along with Lesley-Ann Rosenberg, who travelled more than 60km from the Sunshine Coast to check out the displays.
“I just love Ikea,” Mrs Rainey said. “I want to look for a small table and chairs, and just look at everything they have.”
Her daughter was on the hunt for “crockery, cushions and knick-knacks for the house”.
When store manager Stefano Bizzarri opened the store to the hundreds of waiting shoppers, he noted how long people on the northside of Brisbane had waited for this day.
“This (the crowd and turn out) is beyond my expectations,” Mr Bizzarri said.
Ikea — how it came about, but nearly didn’t
JUNE 2010: North Lake Times first reported rumours of Ikea looking at locations, including North Lakes
AUGUST 2012: Westfield announces extension plans, including Ikea outlet, which would be open by 2014
JANUARY 2013: Council approves the development
2013-2014: Plans delayed as council and Westfield dispute over paid parking condition
EARLY 2014:Ikea gives revised open date of “2016 or beyond”
SEPTEMBER 2014: Council approves Westfield extension in two parts — the cinemas and restaurant precinct — but Ikea was still delayed
MARCH 2015: Council and Westfield “resolve” discussions over paid parking
MAY 2015: North Lakes Timesexclusively reveals work would start on Ikea, creating hundreds of jobs during construction and once the store was open
AUGUST 2015: First sod turning
NOVEMBER 17, 2016: Ikea and Westfield mall open
Westfield’s new mall
Shoppers not only turned out for Ikea, but Kmart, Lush and a children’s store had big lines before the doors opened.
Courtney Paikea and baby sister Mila Livingstone, of Bald Hills, were close to the front of the line waiting for Queensland-based children’s clothing store Lacey Lane.
They have been big fans of the brand and previously bought online but wanted the opportunity to visit a physical store.
Interior designer Shaynna Blaze drew a large crowd later in the day for her colour workshop, with Westfield and Ikea expecting the large crowds to continue into late night shopping tonight, this weekend and in the lead-up to Christmas.
Originally Published On: http://www.couriermail.com.au/