Spotted: Ikea selling map without New Zealand

ikeaSwedish furniture chain Ikea has apologised for leaving New Zealand off a world map that was being sold at one of its Washington, D.C. outlets.

A user from Reddit, a discussion forum site, spotted the error and posted it on a subreddit called MapsWithoutNZ, which collects instances of cartographers inadvertently leaving New Zealand off maps.

According to a news report from BBC, user Jibbles666 spotted the mistake while shopping at the Washington, D.C. Ikea outlet and posted an image on the site.

A Reddit user responded to the post saying “I wonder if they’re going to sell these maps in the new Auckland store,” referring to the chain’s announcement that it will soon open its first shop in NZ.

The furniture retailer has admitted its error and apologised.

In a statement to the BBC, an Ikea spokesperson said: “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 – we regret this mistake and apologise.”

“We will take the necessary actions and the product is now being phased out from our stores,” the spokesperson added.

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