Ikea has handed each of its 12,400 US staff an early Christmas present – a bicycle.

The Swedish flat pack furniture giant previously dished out 9,000 folding Raleigh bikes to UK employees – or ‘co-workers’ as they’re called – in 2006 but this time out the bike (pictured left) has been made specifically for Ikea.

Ikea already offers cycling incentives to employees, including paying them an extra $1 a day and offering on-site lockers and showers.

And their latest moves aims to further improve the company’s green credentials, having last year been named by Time magazine as one of the world’s eight most eco-conscious firms.

“It’s been a good year for IKEA, so what better way to celebrate our success than to thank our IKEA co-workers who made this happen,” said Ikea’s US president Mike Ward.

“Our big reveal today will be a fun day as we unload 12,400 new bikes at IKEA US locations. This is our way of saying: ‘thanks IKEA co-workers for being strongly committed to working together.’

“We hope this bike will be taken in the spirit of the season while supporting a healthy lifestyle and everyday sustainable transport.”