A QUEUE of more than 1000 shoppers greeted the opening of Swedish furniture giant IKEA's first Scottish store yesterday.
Two women who had camped out for days to be first in the store on the outskirts of Edinburgh, were rewarded with #1500 in vouchers after the official opening was carried out Swedish style with the sawing of a log rather than the cutting of a ribbon.
Many customers, worried about traffic congestion, had set out early for the 10am opening.
But their fears, as well as those of Lothian and Borders police, of traffic gridlock on the roads around the Straiton site close to the City Bypass proved unfounded.
While the main car park filled quickly and the overflow area was in use, the approaches were never jammed.
IKEA's plea to customers to delay their visit to another day, plus the lure of a free drink and hot dog and a special home delivery offer for those arriving by bus or bicycle, appeared to have eased the congestion.
Despite the queue at opening time, the number of shoppers was not as high as had been anticipated.
But store manager Rob Rogers described the turn-out of around 10,000 people as ''just a very nice and manageable level''.
He said: ''People seem to have heeded the message to either come by bus and bike or leave it to a day other than the opening and there's been no mayhem. The crowd has been big enough to make it very exciting.''
The appearance of IKEA in Scotland means an end to the pilgrimage millions of Scots have made over the years to the firm's Gateshead store.
Mr Rogers, who along with IKEA's UK managing director Goran Nillson carried out the log-sawing ceremony, said the company planned originally to open the first Scottish store in Glasgow.
The firm, which now has 10 stores in the UK and 154 worldwide, was currently going through the planning process for a West of Scotland store, he said.
Mr Rogers, who has worked with IKEA in Canada and the US, said: ''If all goes well we would like to open in Glasgow next year.''
Shoppers seemed pleased with their first taste of IKEA, Scottish -style.
Mrs Teresa Hart, from Edinburgh, who drives to the Gateshead store two or three times a year, said: ''I have been dying for this to open. The store here is great and the staff were super too.''
Mrs Eileen Morton, who cycled from nearby Bonnyrigg, said the shopping experience had been ''excellent'' and by using her bike she had benefited from a free home delivery offer. ''It was nice of the store to provide chocolates for the kids and tea and coffee for the adults who were in this morning's queue,'' she said.
q A furniture company fought the Ikea challenge yesterday by offering customers a free Swedish massage.
Staff at Forrest Furnishing dressed in Abba costumes and a masseuse was on hand to ease shoppers' stresses and strains.
Those arriving in Volvos or Saabs, and anyone dressed as a member of Abba, were offered free delivery of their purchases.
Swede success Page 17
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