Chaos off the A406

11 February 2005



Brits Riot at IKEA Opening

The British tradition of rioting goes back centuries, at very least to Wat Tyler’s rebellion in 1381. More recently, the nation’s soccer fans have gained a reputation for violence that is deserved only by a microscopic fraction of the whole – but those few are a nasty, brutish lot. What one didn’t expect was a riot at an early morning opening at an IKEA furniture store in north London. Yet, this chaos is almost a textbook case of why riots begin.

Edmonton is located at the north end of the Picadilly Line on the London Underground, up near Wood Green and Walthamstow, and not to be confused with the city in Canada. A new IKEA was set to open at midnight, and the prices speak for themselves. A sofa for £45, bedframes for £30, but one had to make the purchase by 3 am. The IKEA managers clearly hoped for a big crowd at the grand opening that would generate media coverage, which is the cheapest and best advertising one can get. They succeeded too well.

John Olie, the deputy head of Ikea in Britain who oversaw the opening, and who looks like he managed the best anyone could have, said, "We are used to 1,000 people appearing, not 7,000." Well, 5,000 to 6,000 is what IKEA got, and security that is adequate for 1,000 isn’t sufficient for that many more. He added, "As soon as I saw the crowds I knew there would be problems. People were jumping the queue. We will review future openings.”

The very same crowd on the train or in the park wouldn’t have rioted so long as nothing unusual happened. People confronted with a sudden shortage of goods, though, will – and £45 sofas are in short supply if one only has 3 hours to buy them. And while there is no evidence that alcohol played any role (who goes shopping after a night at the pub?), one can’t help but wonder if the midnight opening was best advised. By the same token, who would have thought anyone would riot over IKEA's pre-fab, Swedish bourgeois designs?

Nine ambulances called in, twenty hurt, and the store closed indefinitely. Not a good night in Edmonton. The lesson is easy: have enough security on hand, don’t let the crowd panic over scarce goods, and when things look like they’re getting out of hand, shut everything down.

The Kensington Review is aware of the news about the Royal family, but as they are under a publishing moratorium here for being tiresome, this article appears instead.


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.

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