The Swedish furniture giant was forced to close the store in Edmonton after 30 minutes when it was overwhelmed by shoppers hoping to buy heavily discounted items. "There were 500 people behind me and they were all trying to get through a three-foot gap," shopper Jolene Cooper told Sky News about her experience outside the store's entrance. "They kept on trying to shut the doors and not let anyone in, so all the people behind were pushing me. I was really scared."

Shortly after midnight there were 1,000 cars queuing to get into the car park with some bargain-hunters abandoning their vehicles on the busy A406 North Circular road to get to the store on foot. The store had been offering huge discounts, including leather sofas at 35 pounds ($65) for customers arriving between midnight and 3 a.m., as part of a planned 24 hours of opening bargains. Police said the stabbed man had sustained his injury in the area of the store, adding that his injury was not life-threatening. Five other people were taken to hospital, one suffering from chest pains. London Fire Brigade said they helped ambulance staff deal with 22 people suffering from heat exhaustion and crush injuries. IKEA could not immediately be reached for comment. Last September three men were trampled to death in a rush to claim vouchers when IKEA opened its first store in Saudi Arabia.

Reuters