From an anonymous submitter, who says:

IKEA now produces these store maps – not exactly a transit map, but quite a lot like an in-car line map so I though it was worth suggesting. Sorry about the torn-off bits – I have a pet rabbit!

I’d say it certainly makes navigating an IKEA a bit easier and it does emphasise the one-way nature that you’re supposed to go round, but I can’t help thinking it might confuse people who don’t make the jump between a looping path in the store and a line on the map.

Transit Maps says:

I’ve certainly noticed this similarity before, so it’s good to have a good example of this type of map to feature on the site. 

Visiting an IKEA store is always a very linear experience – many people trek dutifully through the whole store, even if they’re only after one particular thing – so a strip map makes perfect sense to me. It’s the order of things that matters, not the exact layout. However, the inclusion of short-cuts is a godsend for those who want to skip ahead of the crowds!

Interestingly, this map is for the Wembley store in London, but my local IKEA in Portland, Oregon has the exact same progression of departments.