SWEDISH furniture giant Ikea admitted last night that service at its stores at weekends was not good enough.

The popularity of its shops, which includes a site near the Gateshead MetroCentre, had been blighted by overcrowding and queues.

In a frank admission, company boss Anders Dahlvig said: "We haven't been able to live up to the demands of our customers who shop with us at the weekend, especially the queuing."

The group said it had become a victim of its own success, particularly in the UK, where its shops are hugely popular.

And the only way to overcome the problems were to open more stores.

Hopes that an expansion plan could mean more stores serving the North-East appear to be slim, however.

Ikea was rumoured to be considering the site of the former Uno store at the Portrack Lane industrial estate in Stockton.

But yesterday, the company denied the move, although it did stress it would be opening new stores across the country in the next five years.

A spokesman for Ikea said: "We are looking to build new stores all across the country, but as far as I am aware we did not look at the Stockton site and it does not fit into our extensive expansion plans."

Proposals for 20 stores in the UK have struggled to get planning permission, but Ikea still believes it will double sales in the next five years and open 60 to 70 new shops across the world.