Riot as Ikea opens new store

ONE man was stabbed and several injured after 4,000 people flocked to the midnight opening of a new Ikea furniture superstore in north London. The Swedish furniture giant was forced to close the store in Edmonton after 30 minutes when it was overwhelmed by shoppers pouring in to buy heavily discounted goods.

'There were 500 people behind me and they were all trying to get through a three-foot gap,' said shopper Jolene Cooper, describing her experience outside the store's entrance.

'They kept on trying to shut the doors and not let anyone in, so all the people behind were pushing me. I was really scared.'

Shortly after midnight there were 1,000 cars queuing to get into the car park with some bargain-hunters abandoning their vehicles on the busy A406 North Circular road to get to the store on foot.

The store had been offering huge discounts, including leather sofas at £35 for customers arriving between midnight and 3am, as part of a planned 24 hours of opening bargains.

Police said the stabbed man had sustained his injury in the area of the store, adding that his injury was not life-threatening.

Five other people were taken to hospital, one suffering from chest pains. London Fire Brigade said they helped Ambulance staff deal with 22 people suffering from heat exhaustion and crush injuries.

{2} Customers criticised the store for being understaffed. Karni Mahmood, 37, from Enfield, said: 'I'm amazed at how badly organised it was. Ikea failed to provide the staff to control such a big event. They are to blame for this mess. I was near the main doors and I couldn't move in any direction. I only came here to buy a cheap sofa.'

Student Latyia Arpesh, 23, from Tottenham, said: 'I was pushed to the ground. I tried to get up but had people all clambering over me. It was terrifying, I feared for my life.'

Plumber Gary Woodman, 39, said: 'My wife was punched in the eye. She's in a lot of pain. All they had to do was plan this opening properly and the night would have passed off peacefully.'

One woman claimed she suffered an asthma attack in the store after staff refused to let in a friend who had her inhaler.

An Ikea spokeswoman said: 'I think it's fair to say we misjudged it and maybe were a bit naive, but some shoppers behaved like animals and started shoving and pushing everyone else. There's not much we can do to stop that.

'We took advice from the police and council over how many people we would need for the opening. We followed all the safety guidelines.'

{1} Ikea staff said they were shocked by the stampede. One said: 'When we opened the doors there was this almighty rush. We didn't know what to do so we closed the doors straightaway, but some people got stuck in them and others were rammed up against the glass. We tried letting in people one by one but they ran through again.

'We were looking forward to selling loads of nice furniture at very cheap prices. It was never meant to turn into a riot.'

Customer Ben Adetimle, 31, an accountant from Leytonstone, said: 'I bought a sofa but as soon as I turned my back someone had stolen it. But I'm not upset, it's just furniture and it's not worth dying over.'

As paramedics treated the injured, many shoppers continued to wheel their trolleys around the store. A woman with a set of pot plants said: 'I've come all the way from Birmingham for this and I can't go back empty-handed.'

Jilal Patel, 29, from Tottenham, said: 'I started queuing at 11am and nothing is going to stop me from getting my sofa.'

Last September three men were trampled to death in a rush to claim vouchers when Ikea opened its first store in Saudi Arabia.

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