For its 40th anniversary in Belgium, the Swedish furniture chain Ikea is offering a 15% discount on everything in all its shops on Friday – resulting in a rush that is causing traffic jams and long queues at all Ikea stores in Belgium.
The discount action on 21 June was widely reported in Belgian media, and brought a bigger-than-expected number of people to the Swedish brand's stores. "15% off the entire range when you buy at least two items on the same till receipt," said Ikea Belgium.
In Zaventem, the Ikea shop opened 15 minutes early to try and manage the traffic: by 09:30, there was already a large queue of people at the door of the shop, which normally only opens at 10:00.
The situation is the same in the Ikea store in Wilrijk (Antwerp), Het Nieuwsblad reports. The rush at the store even caused traffic jams on the road leading to the shop. "Hundreds of people were already drumming at the entrance before opening time. There's even a queue to get a trolley."
Longer waiting times
The situation is similar in Hasselt (Limburg): there is serious traffic with long queues on the road to and from the Ikea store. "We are satisfied with the turnout. Customers have to wait a little longer, but they are very understanding," said Ikea Hasselt spokesperson Silke Goyens.
Ikea Ghent is full as well. Inside, people are lining up in long queues at the check-out, but even those who have paid up have to drum to get back to their cars with fully loaded trolleys, Het Laatste Nieuws reports.
On Saturday, Ikea shops will close their doors earlier than usual (17:00 instead of 20:00) as it is organising a huge 40th birthday party for all its employees.
