Half a million people have passed through the doors of Ikea in the month since the Swedish chain store opened its debut store in Ballymun, north Dublin.

The store, which opened on 27 July, has defied the recession and attracted customers from all over Ireland.

"There has been overwhelm­ing consumer response to the store. It is trading well and we are hopeful that this trend will continue for the rest of the year," spokesman Norman Pratt said.

There were concerns the opening would lead to traffic chaos but Pratt claims all the traffic issues have been resolved and things have run smoothly so far.

"Ikea is continuing to implement a comprehensive traffic management plan developed in conjunction with the NRA, Fingal County Council and the gardaí and we can confirm that there have been no traffic issues to date."

Ikea's opening suffered delays due to strict planning and opening guidelines – the store is required to provide a regular shuttle bus to Ballymun town centre and is also required to have parking charges during peak hours.

The store, which employs over 500 members of staff, had to recruit an additional 100 employees after demand reached sky-high levels at the beginning of this month.

Ikea bestsellers
Mala easel €17.99
Billy bookcase €25.00
Lach side table €5.99
Krabb mirror €9.99
Malm chest €39.00
Snille swivel chair €24.99