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CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON FIRST IKEA STORE FOR NEW ZEALAND

The Swedish, home-furnishing retailer confirmed its first blue box will open in Sylvia Park, Auckland in late 2025.

02.06.2023, New Zealand: Construction has begun on the first ever IKEA store in Aotearoa New Zealand. Located at Sylvia Park, Auckland, IKEA New Zealand today confirmed an anticipated opening date to customers of late 2025.

The beginning of construction was recognised by a ground breaking event, which took place following a Māori blessing with 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.

Today, Mirja Viinanen, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer for IKEA New Zealand and Australia confirmed that the first store will open alongside online shopping, enabling IKEA to be as accessible as possible to the many New Zealanders. The traditional big, blue box will be a large format store, approximately 34,000m2, showcasing the latest design and home furnishing solutions to help create a better life at home.

“We know anticipation has been building since we first announced our intention to come to New Zealand, so we are excited to share our plans today as we take an important step closer to saying hej to the many New Zealanders. We’re so grateful to iwi who have welcomed us to the land, in addition to Kiwi Property, our partners who have enabled construction to begin as we look towards our anticipated opening date of late 2025,” Mirja Viinanen said.

“Wherever IKEA operates we aim to be a good neighbour and consult 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,” Ms Viinanen continued.

“New Zealand felt like a missing piece for IKEA and I am so 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,” said Tolga Öncü, Head of IKEA Retail, Ingka Group.

Facts about the first store for IKEA New Zealand:

  • The store will be large format and approximately 34,000m2 in size.
  • IKEA in New Zealand will be a three-floor building, with a ground level carpark and the store spread across two levels.
  •  It will have standalone entry and exit points, as well as being 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, now of course inclusive of 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. Our ambition is to achieve NZ 5 Green Star rating with our 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.


“We’re delighted to be welcoming Aotearoa’s first IKEA store to Sylvia Park,” said Kiwi Property Chief Executive Officer, Clive Mackenzie. “New Zealanders have been eagerly awaiting the iconic retailer’s arrival to our shores, so it’s 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’re proud to be working with IKEA and look forward to the store opening in late 2025, giving Kiwi shoppers access to its globally renowned home furnishing range.”