IKEA Shutdown Sales Spark Dawn Queues as Shoppers Line Up for Hours

Crowds began forming outside several IKEA stores across China early today, as clearance sales kicked off ahead of the permanent closure of seven locations. By around 7am — nearly three hours before doors opened — long lines had already appeared at some stores.

An IKEA China customer service representative told Jupai News that all seven soon-to-close outlets officially started their clearance discounts today, drawing heavy foot traffic. "The crowds are huge. Some customers may have to wait three to four hours just to get inside," the representative said.

Not everyone joined the pre-dawn rush. Some shoppers arrived earlier in the day, hoping to beat peak crowds. A woman who had just finished shopping at IKEA Baoshan in Shanghai said she was furnishing an apartment for rent and came specifically for the discounts. "I got in around 9am, but the shelves in the discount sections were already empty," she said, adding that larger items did not yet appear to be heavily marked down, Jiupai News reported.

In Nantong, Jiangsu Province, another shopper surnamed Zhang said traffic jams were already showing up on navigation apps before 9am Still, she decided to go. "I was basically pushed in by the crowd," she said. "I rushed straight to the basement to grab the cups I wanted. If all goes well, I'll queue another 30 minutes, pay, and head to work," according to the report.

She noted that many small items had already sold out in recent days, and that most shoppers now seemed to be targeting large furniture. Even so, some display items were already labeled "sample sold."

The rush followed an announcement made by IKEA China on January 7, which quickly spread across social media. The company said that from February 2, seven stores — in Shanghai Baoshan, Guangzhou Panyu, Tianjin Zhongbei, Nantong, Xuzhou, Ningbo and Harbin — would permanently close.

Since then, once-quiet IKEA stores have turned into scenes of frenzy. Social media videos show traffic backing up hundreds of meters outside the Ningbo store, shoppers lining up in freezing winds in Nantong, carts jammed together in Harbin, and even arguments breaking out over popular items. One voice in a viral clip summed it up: "I’ve never seen IKEA this crowded in my life."

Shoppers came for different reasons. Some were bargain hunters hoping to score practical items at lower prices. Others treated it as a farewell, snapping photos in front of the iconic blue-and-yellow buildings to mark the end of a personal or city memory. Still others were simply drawn in by the buzz.

According to IKEA, the closures are not a sudden retreat but part of a broader strategic shift in China. The Swedish furniture giant said it is moving away from decades of rapid expansion toward a more targeted, efficiency-driven approach. The decision, the company stressed, is meant to optimize costs, improve efficiency and reallocate resources — not because the stores were unable to continue operating.