IKEA purchase of land at Sylvia Park complete

IKEA New Zealand Ltd today announced it has completed purchase of the land and site of its first blue box store at Sylvia Park in Auckland with Kiwi Property Group.  

Construction of the 34,000m2 store on the 3.24 hectare site began in June this year with a groundbreaking ceremony, at which IKEA confirmed an expected opening date of late 2025. The event included a Māori blessing and Fika, traditional Swedish ritual of coming together over food.  

Since then, IKEA has been working with Kiwi Property to support the work prior to the completion of land sale. This arrangement was mutually agreed and undertaken to ensure a smooth construction journey to deliver the first IKEA store in Auckland.

Land ownership is typical of IKEA stores worldwide, demonstrating their long-term commitment to the local communities in which they operate. This also enables IKEA to oversee the quality of the store and overall shopping experience. 

Mirja Viinanen, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer for IKEA New Zealand and Australia, said the completion of the sale and purchase agreement for the land was a milestone in the company’s market entry and is “something we’ve been working towards since announcing our intention to bring IKEA to New Zealand.

“Development of the site and store is going well despite record rainfall in Auckland over the last few months. I’m pleased to say we’re on time and on track to open in late 2025,” she confirmed.

Earlier in August IKEA announced it had signed an agreement with Auckland Airport to develop and lease a 20,000m2 warehouse that will be vital to IKEA operations.  

Located at The Landing Business Park, Mangere, approximately 15 km from Sylvia Park, the purpose-built warehouse will be integral in the day-to-day running of both the IKEA store and IKEA online shopping offering.