A woman who works in a warehouse has successfully defended her Flatpack World Champion title by assembling a bedside table in under nine minutes. Hayley McAuley, 38, expressed her joy at winning the competition held at ExCel London, stating that she was thrilled to have won again.
Competing against strong opponents, Hayley, from Wigan, Lancs, and the owner of a flatpack support business, proudly secured her victory by completing the task in just eight minutes and 20 seconds. This time was notably faster than her performance in the previous year’s event, where she finished in nine minutes and 33 seconds.
The competition, featured as part of Grand Designs Live, involved groups of flatpack enthusiasts competing in two rounds. Participants first assembled an IKEA Billy bookcase, with the top two from each round advancing to the final stage. In the final round, the remaining four contestants raced to build an IKEA Billy two-drawer bedside table in front of a live audience, with property expert Kunle Barker providing commentary.
Impressed by Hayley’s skills, Kunle remarked on her exceptional performance, noting that she stood out from the competition. Fellow contestant Mark likened the assembly process to building Lego, emphasizing the importance of taking breaks when feeling overwhelmed.
All furniture assembled during the event will be donated to the British Heart Foundation, as announced by the organizers.
