Three people were crushed to death when thousands of shoppers stampeded into an Ikea store in western Saudi Arabia.

The furniture giant had promised credit vouchers to the first 250 customers in the Red Sea port city of Jiddah.

When the doors opened on Wednesday morning, the crowd surged forward, causing the stampede.

Entrance of the new IKEA store where shoppers stampeded in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. (AP photo)
Entrance of the new IKEA store where shoppers stampeded in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. (AP photo)

More than 8,000 people were waiting for the store to open, a senior executive for Ikea Saudi Arabia said.

Some shoppers had camped out overnight.