A man was stabbed and five other people received hospital treatment after thousands of bargain-hungry customers caused a stampede at the midnight opening of a new Ikea furniture store in north London, British authorities said on Thursday. The Swedish retailer expressed shock and regret at the incident.
The stabbing victim, a man in his 20s, was attacked at around 1.30am near the Ikea store, a spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police said, adding that his condition did not appear life-threatening.
The new Ikea warehouse in the Edmonton district had been due to operate 24 hours to mark the opening, but shut until further notice after about 40 minutes because of the unexpectedly large crowds.
About 6 000 people flocked to the Swedish furniture store, which had been offering special bargains including leather sofas for 45 pounds.
Many customers abandoned their vehicles in the middle of a major road near the shop and walked to the store, causing severe traffic difficulties, police said.
In addition to the stabbing victim, one patient was taken to hospital with chest pains and four others were treated for minor injuries, a London Ambulance Service spokesperson said.
Ikea said it had opened 12 other stores in Britain before and was stunned by the Edmonton stampede.
”Ikea could never have predicted and are genuinely overwhelmed at the outcome of the evening and the consequences that the opening of a home furnishing retailer has had,” the retailer said in a statement.
”Under the current circumstances, Ikea Edmonton will remain closed until further notice. All advertised opening offers have been withdrawn. Ikea would like to express their concern and regret at what has happened at the opening of our new store.”
The store opened at 12.01am on Thursday and was forced to close at 12.42am with crowd numbers estimated at between 5 000 to 6 000, an IKEA spokesperson said. She added that Ikea had liaised with police before the opening of the new store.
Assistant Divisional Officer William Bird, of the London Fire Service, said he had never seen anything like the crush before.
”It was extraordinary and to a certain extent unexpected,” Bird told British Broadcasting Corporation radio news.
”There were crush injuries and people suffering from shock from the pushing and shoving.”
Three people died and 17 others were injured in a stampede at the opening of an Ikea branch in western Saudi Arabia in September. – Sapa-AP