Jam-packed opening

THE grand opening of IKEA Springvale was expected to cause chaos this morning as keen shoppers descended on the store.
As the biggest IKEA store in the southern hemisphere, store manager David Brady said he was expecting more than 50,000 shoppers to take a peek during the opening weekend.
“We’ve expecting about 15,000 on opening day, it will be a bit quieter on Friday and about another 15,000 on both Saturday and Sunday,” Mr Brady said.
“I can’t wait for people to come see it because I think it’s fantastic.”
But with only 1800 car parking spaces Greater Dandenong Highway Patrol Acting Senior Sergeant Scott Roberts said drivers should steer clear of the area if possible.
“I would suggest to anybody who usually takes that route to find an alternative,” he said.
“It could be full on absolute mayhem or could be nothing at all so we’ll be monitoring.”
The store was preparing for a jam-packed morning with a live broadcast by MIX 101.1 from 6am, entertainment and flatpack building competitions.
Victoria’s Honorary Consul for Sweden Jacqueline Hey will conduct a traditional Swedish log cutting ceremony and the giant IKEA tape measure ribbon cutting will mark the official opening at 10am.