Hibiscus Coast locals heading into Sylvia Park have been part of a huge first month for IKEA in New Zealand.

IKEA Sylvia Park welcomed 569,417 visitors between 4 December and 3 January.

The busiest day was Sunday, 7 December, when 28,780 people came through the doors.

The store also ranked as the top-performing store globally for food sales across Ingka Group during its first month of trading.

Online interest matched the in-store rush.

The website attracted 1.9 million users and generated more than 12 million page views over the first month.

The IKEA app was downloaded 141,000 times in New Zealand in the same period.

Deliveries leaned heavily regional, with 71% of all orders coming from outside Auckland, Wellington, and Canterbury.

Waikato led regional demand, followed by Bay of Plenty and Otago.

IKEA Family has grown to 186,000 New Zealand members.

Bedroom and storage solutions have been in strong demand, led by MALM, PAX, and ALEX, alongside the BILLY bookcase.

Everyday essentials have also sold strongly, including almost 50,000 FRAKTA blue bags.

The OFTAST plate sold more than 40,000 units, with the OFTAST bowl at 29,480.

Food has been a major pull.

In the first month, customers bought over 54,000 hot dogs, more than 21,000 cinnamon buns, and 28,000 meatball and mash dishes.

Ice cream was also popular, with more than 26,000 servings sold.

Seasonal patterns are already showing up.

Sofas surged in the pre-Christmas period, while storage lines like chest of drawers and system wardrobes picked up in the new year as people turned to home organisation.

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