Construction is underway on the first IKEA store in Aotearoa New Zealand located at Sylvia Park, Auckland with an anticipated opening date of late 2025.
The beginning of construction was recognised by an event, which took place following a Maori blessing with local iwi who officially welcomed IKEA to the land. After the Maori blessing, a Fika, which is a traditional Swedish ritual of coming together over food took place.
IKEA Australia and New Zealand CEO and chief sustainability officer, Mirja Viinanen confirmed that the first store will open alongside online shopping. The large format store will measure approximately 34,000 square metres across three levels – two levels of retail space and one ground level car park – showcasing the latest design and home furnishing solutions.
Like all IKEA stores, sustainability will be at the heart of the development with an ambition to achieve NZ 5 Green Star rating. Sustainable features of the store will include solar panels on the roof, electric vehicle chargers in the car park and 100% LED lighting.
“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 as we take an important step closer to saying hej to the many New Zealanders,” she said.
“We’re so grateful to the iwi that helped welcome 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.
“We have been working closely with our partners at Kiwi Property Group to consult community groups and local iwi. We are appreciative of these relationships and look forward to continuing these consultations as IKEA moves to build and open its first store.”
Ingka Group head of IKEA Retail, Tolga Öncü added, “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.”