Norfolk had never had an Ikea outlet and residents had been obliged to travel to London or Essex if they really wanted to hunt for bargains from the Swedish business in person. If the decision fuels interest in home furnishings in the region, leaflet printers from Kings Lynn might get more business. At the moment, Ikea has approximately 20 businesses in the whole of the UK. However, it's not just the furniture that is whetting appetites. The manager of the Norfolk store, Roger Cooper has told the Lynn News:
"The first question I was asked – the very first question! – was whether Ikea Norwich would be stocking meatballs."
In the past, Mr. Cooper has purchased a kitchen from the Ikea in Essex. Therefore he knows how inconvenient it used to be to travel from Norfolk to the Lakeside complex.
Although it's customary for such a store to have a range of deals available on opening day, this Ikea chose not to have any special offers to entice consumers to the store when it opened. The shop in Norfolk is modestly sized, and previous special offers at other branches had cause near-riots in the past.