Venkat Raman
Auckland, June 3, 2023
The Swedish, home-furnishing retailer has confirmed that its first blue box will open in Sylvia Park, Auckland in late 2025.
Construction began on the first IKEA store with a ground-breaking ceremony involving the participation of Ministers Michael Wood (Transport, Workplace Relations and Safety, Immigration, Auckland Issues) and Priyanca Radhakrishnan (Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities, Community and Voluntary Sectors, Youth) and Labour MP Jenny Salesa.
The beginning of construction was recognised with a Māori blessing in the presence of the local iwi who officially welcomed IKEA to the land. After the blessing, a Fika, which is a traditional Swedish ritual of coming together over food, took place.
Physical and Virtual shopping
IKEA New Zealand and Australia Chief Executive and Chief Sustainability Officer Mirja Viinanen said that the first store will open alongside online shopping, enabling IKEA to be as accessible as possible to New Zealanders.
The traditional big, blue box will be a large format store, approximately 34,000 sq m showcasing the latest design and home furnishing solutions to improve home life.
“We know that anticipation has been building since we first announced our intention to come to New Zealand. We are therefore excited to share our plans as we take an important step closer to saying hej (Hello in Swedish) to New Zealanders. We are grateful to iwi who have welcomed us to the land, in addition to Kiwi Property, our partners who have enabled construction to begin,” she said.
Ms Viinanen said that IKEA aims to be a good neighbour and consults with the community and businesses in the best way.
“We have been working closely with our partners at Kiwi Property Group to consult community groups and local iwi. We are very appreciative of these relationships and look forward to continuing these consultations as IKEA moves to build and open its first store. We welcome the valuable expertise, advice and input on our journey that all iwi, community groups and neighbouring businesses have to offer,” she said.
Ingka Group (the Holding Company) and IKEA Retail Head Tolga Öncü said that New Zealand was a missing piece for IKEA.
“I am pleased that, thanks to the support of the many involved, we are now able to start changing that. We are humbled by the interest shown in IKEA and our home furnishing solutions and will do our absolute best to live up to such expectations. I wish everyone a smooth and speedy construction and very much look forward to welcoming New Zealand to the big IKEA family as soon as possible,” he said.
IKEA New Zealand Facts
Facts about the first store for IKEA New Zealand:
The store will be large format and approximately 34,000 sq m in size.
IKEA New Zealand will be a three-floor building, with a ground-level carpark and a store spread across two levels.
It will have standalone entry and exit points, as well as be connected to the rest of the Sylvia Park retail precinct.
The new IKEA store will also have a Swedish Restaurant and Bistro serving the iconic meatballs and hot dogs, with plant-based versions of the Swedish favourites.
Like all IKEA stores, sustainability will be at the heart of the development from the start and into the store’s opening and day-to-day running.
The company hopes to achieve New Zealand 5 Green Star rating for its new building.
Sustainable features of IKEA New Zealand’s first store will include solar panels on the roof, electric vehicle chargers in the car park and 100% LED lighting.
Kiwi Property (which owns Sylvia Park property) Chief Executive Clive Mackenzie said that he is delighted to welcome the first IKEA store in New Zealand.
“New Zealanders have been eagerly awaiting the iconic retailer’s arrival to our shores and hence it is fantastic that construction is now underway. Sylvia Park is already the country’s favourite shopping centre and the addition of a big blue box will take the precinct to a new level. We are proud to work with IKEA and look forward to the store opening in late 2025, giving Kiwi shoppers access to its globally renowned home furnishing range,” he said.
