Cops Hosted In Spain For Ikea's Local Launch

Amidst the retailing frenzy that is Christmas, the island of Ireland's first ever Ikea store - at Holywood Exchange near east Belfast - is due to add further to the spending tumult later this week – and it has already provoked controversy.

While the stage is set for Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers to chop the inaugural Swedish Log - an Ikea tradition - to declare the flagship store open at 10am on Thursday, the PSNI has been forced to defend its decision to allow three officers to travel to Spain to attend the opening of an Ikea store.

It has emerged that the spent three days in Malaga in October ahead of the opening of the Swedish furniture company's largest UK store in east Belfast.

A police spokeswoman said the trip allowed the officers to "gain an insight into the opening of a similar sized Ikea store".

"The three officers have been involved in the planning operation for the opening of an Ikea store in Belfast and travelled to Spain at the specific request of the store," said the PSNI.

The trip, believed to be at Ikea's expense was to allow the to liaise with experienced Ikea staff on their procedures, planning and management of the opening of a similar sized store in Malaga.

It is anticipated that dozens of officers as well as a PSNI helicopter will be deployed during the opening of the 29,000sq metre store.

A company spokeswoman said: "The Belfast store has the largest selling space that any other in the UK, and we expect a busy, busy pre-Christmas period."

The statistics are mind-boggling; a building that covers 29,000 square metres - equivalent to six football pitches - with 50 showrooms, a market hall, warehouse, 565-seat restaurant, crèche and ancillary services.

"There are 1,600 car parking spaces - 2,000 during the opening period - and we sell a range of almost 10,000 items. It's quite a store," said the spokeswoman. "Oh, and we will employ 400 people, full-time and part-time."

Ikea has been in talks with Roads Services and PSNI in a bid to prevent traffic snarl-ups, especially in the initial period.

(BMcC)