Three Saudis on Wednesday died and 16 wounded in a stampede when thousands of people rushed to claim cash vouchers at the opening of an IKEA furniture showroom in Jeddah.
Many people fainted and some of them were trampled upon as the crowd of shoppers swelled just before the opening.
The Swedish furniture showroom had mounted a big pre-opening ad campaign with the offer of SR500 ($130) vouchers to first 50 shoppers and SR100 vouchers to 200 others as part of its usual free gift scheme, Arab News reported. When the entrance gate was opened several thousand people who had converged on the scene rushed forward to be among the first 50 or first 200 to claim the vouchers pushing and trampling upon each other.
Meanwhile, one of IKEA’s senior executives said the establishment had taken “full security measures anticipating a big turnout of shoppers.”
However, once the crowd gained its entry into the showroom, the scene inside was normal. The showroom also reported “excellent business” on the opening day.
Ghassan Ahmed AlSulaiman Co., the Swedish furniture giant’s Saudi agent, has invested SR240 ($64) million on the projects in Jeddah and Riyadh. IKEA center in Riyadh covers an area of 28,500 square meters. It presents more than 6,500 products under one roof.
Addressing a press conference, Ghassan Ahmed Al-Suleiman, said that with the opening of the two new showrooms, the number of Saudi workers in IKEA would reach 60 percent. (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
