Ikea staff assemble own pay packets

4,000 UK staff hope to have made about ¿1,000 each on Saturday

Swedish furniture giant Ikea is handing over all of Saturday's takings to its staff, following a frantic day's trading in which they may have pocketed £1,000 each.

The group organised the Co-workers Sales Day to thank its 40,000 employees around the world for their hard work.

The idea is said to have come from the company's 73-year-old founder Ingvar Kamprad, who wanted to make a grand thank-you gesture to his workforce before the Millennium.

The takings could equal three months' salary ito Chinese workers

The 4,000 staff at the group's nine UK stores hope to have generated record profits during the day.

The second Saturday in October is traditionally the busiest day at Ikea anyway, coming after the release of the company's latest catalogue.

And this year even the group's office workers had been invited to join staff on the shop floor to help sell goods.

UK Managing Director Goran Nilsson said the day had been a huge success.

"It has been a fantastic day, I believe we will have doubled the takings from our previous record day of trading," he said.

"But it is not just about money, I hope we will have provided entertainment and quality for our customers."

He refused to confirm reports that the staff would have made up to £1,000 each.

Analysts estimate that the day could have generated Ikea £37m across its 150 stores in 28 countries.

Every member of staff will receive the same amount regardless of which country they work in.

For some workers, such as those based in China, the amount will be equivalent to about three months' salary.