A GOOD IKEA; Mirrorgirl Maeve gets a sneak preview of all that's on offer for shoppers at new superstore.

IT'S the moment fanatical shoppers across Ireland have been waiting for.

And on Monday at 11am Ikea will finally open for business here.

Bargain hunters from across the country are expected to flock to the Swedish chain to pick up modern styles at rock bottom prices but still of the quality that has made the Ikea brand famous across the world.

And yesterday we got a sneak preview of what's in store for Irish customers.

Garry Deakin, manager of the new store at Ballymun, said: "When our customers come in, we want them not only to fall in love with the product, but also the price tag."

And after a quick sprint around the store, I can only agree.

There's everything in this shop and the kitchen sink if you so desire - and practically all of the products are available to take home right there and then.

More than 9,500 products cover the 31,500 square metres of the store and there are more than 55 fully furnished room and home layouts. Interior design teams recruited from across Ireland have created the Ikea style rooms so that people can see just how the modern, chic furniture will fit in with their own homes.

STYLISH

Gill Reilly of the creative team said: "We design the stores to show homes that are inspirational, aspiration and functional." Covering 31,500 square metresthe than 500 jobs.

There are lots of bargains to be had - from lamps at around the EUR3 mark to beds and even kitchens.

Just two years ago the Belfast Ikea store opened and business has been booming there ever since - in no small way because of border hopping bargain hunters who choose to shop in the North.

But will our prices in Dublin be enough to stop shoppers from making the two-and-a-half-hour trip to Belfast? Manager Garry believes they will as all of the products are priced to be the lowest on the Irish market, which is how Ikea do business.

The new store will be open from 11am to 9pm weekdays, 10am to 8pm on Saturday and 11am to 7pm on Sundays and bank holidays.

It will have 1852 parking spaces but be warned - to discourage shoppers at peak traffic congestion times An Bord Pleanala have made the store install a EUR3 charge for parking between 4pm and 8pm.

CAPTION(S):

ALL QUIET Store opens on Monday READY Staff with sofa STYLE Some stock RINGING The tills DINING In store cafe BIG DEALS Maeve with her haul