Retail giant Ikea has been alarmed by a giant hide-and-seek game planned by social media organisers at one of its Sydney stores.

More than 40,000 have registered for the event in May organised by university students as part of a world-wide craze at Ikea stores, Xinhua news agency reported.

The retailer was chosen because of the huge size of its stores.

News Corporation reported that Ikea has banned people from taking part in the game, citing security concerns.

“The recent interest in playing Hide-and-Seek at Ikea stores raises security issues for both customers and co-workers,” a spokesperson said.

“Due to the level of interest, even if Ikea wishes to host games, we cannot guarantee the safety of our customers thus we are unable to host these games,” she said.

An organiser said it was still hoping the event could take place in some form.

Sydney police are monitoring the situation which originated on Facebook.

- Bernama