Ooops! Ikea apologizes after leaving New Zealand off map
Swedish flatpack furniture giant Ikea has apologized after leaving New Zealand off a map sold in its stores, an omission that came less than a month after it announced plans to launch in the country.
"Ikea is responsible for securing correct and compliant motifs on all our products. We can see that the process has failed regarding the product Björksta world map,” a spokesman told the BBC. “We regret this mistake and apologize. We will take the necessary actions and the product is now being phased out from our stores."
The offending map is still, however, featured on the company's website.
The company’s embarrassing omission was first pointed out on the MapsWithoutNZ forum on the internet site Reddit, where users post examples of mapmakers overlooking the island nation.
“Ikea's map game is not on point,” Reddit user Jibbles66 wrote posting a photo of the Björksta world map, which has nothing but empty ocean southeast of Australia.
“Wonder if they’re going to sell these maps in the new Auckland store,” Jeremy Kitchen, another user added, picking up on the company's announcement last month that it would open in the country "in a couple of years".
The failure to include the country on maps has become a running joke in New Zealand, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last year launching the #GetNZonthemap video with the comedian Rhys Darby.
New Zealanders flocked to social media to express their outrage.
What's the deal #IKEA with forgetting an entire country off the world maps you are selling? #NewZealand exists!!!!
— Tiberius'sHuman (@DemHyenas) February 7, 2019
Hopefully #Ikea won’t be using their own map to find us when they open their first store in #NewZealand https://t.co/PLWfeMo9N4
— Nicola Cox (@nicolacoxint) February 8, 2019
Australians, meanwhile, jumped at the opportunity to have a dig at their smaller neighbour.
To be fair to @IKEA , it ain't hard to forget about #NewZealand . https://t.co/XVIj1sV6yr
— Daniel J. Campbell (@Hoobs07) February 7, 2019
Others raised the possibility that Ikea might be correct, in a repeat of the Finland Conspiracy internet meme, where users concoct arguments to support the theory that Finland does not in fact exist.
Is it IKEA is wrong, or are they the only ones that know the truth that New Zealand is just a mythical island?
— IMStarbuck (@StarbuckIm) February 9, 2019
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"Ikea is responsible for securing correct and compliant motifs on all our products. We can see that the process has failed regarding the product Björksta world map,” a spokesman told the BBC. “We regret this mistake and apologize. We will take the necessary actions and the product is now being phased out from our stores."
The offending map is still, however, featured on the company's website.
The company’s embarrassing omission was first pointed out on the MapsWithoutNZ forum on the internet site Reddit, where users post examples of mapmakers overlooking the island nation.
“Ikea's map game is not on point,” Reddit user Jibbles66 wrote posting a photo of the Björksta world map, which has nothing but empty ocean southeast of Australia.
“Wonder if they’re going to sell these maps in the new Auckland store,” Jeremy Kitchen, another user added, picking up on the company's announcement last month that it would open in the country "in a couple of years".
The failure to include the country on maps has become a running joke in New Zealand, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last year launching the #GetNZonthemap video with the comedian Rhys Darby.
New Zealanders flocked to social media to express their outrage.
What's the deal #IKEA with forgetting an entire country off the world maps you are selling? #NewZealand exists!!!!
— Tiberius'sHuman (@DemHyenas) February 7, 2019
Hopefully #Ikea won’t be using their own map to find us when they open their first store in #NewZealand https://t.co/PLWfeMo9N4
— Nicola Cox (@nicolacoxint) February 8, 2019
Australians, meanwhile, jumped at the opportunity to have a dig at their smaller neighbour.
To be fair to @IKEA , it ain't hard to forget about #NewZealand . https://t.co/XVIj1sV6yr
— Daniel J. Campbell (@Hoobs07) February 7, 2019
Others raised the possibility that Ikea might be correct, in a repeat of the Finland Conspiracy internet meme, where users concoct arguments to support the theory that Finland does not in fact exist.
Is it IKEA is wrong, or are they the only ones that know the truth that New Zealand is just a mythical island?
— IMStarbuck (@StarbuckIm) February 9, 2019
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