IT ECHOES a stunt by street magician and performance artist David Blaine.

A man will live in a glass box on the back of a lorry.

But this is not a world record attempt. It is the latest quirky marketing stunt unveiled by Swedish furniture giant Ikea in the run-up to the opening of its Southampton superstore.

Southampton actor David Chambers, 32, will be transformed into a “typical Swedish man” called Anders, complete with Scandinavian-style blond hair and blue eyes. He will tour the region in a glass-sided van filled with furniture in a “living showcase” of the Ikea lifestyle, handing out goodies and running competitions.

Store manager Alessandra Taffe and Southampton mayor Brian Parnell will also ditch the usual ribbon-cutting ceremony when the store opens on February 12 in favour of the Swedish tradition of sawing a log in half.

Company bosses have already used some imaginative ideas to put the new store in the public eye.

One of the cross-Solent Red Funnel ferries has been painted in Ikea’s yellow-and-blue colours, while a cheeky banner used the firm’s famous meatballs in a bid to lure diners away from the cafe at its rival John Lewis.

Details of goodies on offer on the store’s opening day have also been seen by the Daily Echo – with an as yet undisclosed number of the first people in the queue given a “surprise gift”.

Another section of the queue will be “given an Ikea product”, while another group will be given an Ikea gift card loaded with cash.

The first 20 children in the queue will also be given an Ikea goodie bag.

Bosses are also planning to have a “wheel of fortune” for the opening day, which will pick shoppers at random and give them whatever they’re buying for free, “whether it’s a toilet brush or a kitchen”.

Some products will also be at special discount prices especially for the day.

Plans for the opening are in full swing, with 750,000 catalogues being distributed to households across the region. The shop will open at 10am, but no one will be allowed to queue outside before 6am.

A spokesman for Ikea said David’s transformation into Anders would be seen all over Hampshire. “He will be seen lounging on Ikea furniture and interacting with crowds and running competitions and giveaways.

He will be on the road for five days for each of four weeks.”