Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
IKEA has unveiled plans to open a new city centre shop on London’s Tottenham Court Road, billed as the first of its kind in the capital.
Scheduled to launch this Autumn, the store (located on the former Multiyork site) will ‘act as a new way for customers to experience the IKEA brand’, by offering a relaxed, personalised and tailored service for those who are planning a larger-scale home project such as a new kitchen or bedroom. It aims to ‘give customers the advice and inspiration they need to browse, plan and order their furniture, with the expertise and specialist support of IKEA co-workers, alongside a great service package and delivery offer’.
The Swedish homeware giant said the venture is the first step in its ‘revised strategy in the UK’, which will focus on city centres, enhanced customer services and digitalisation. It is also part of a global approach to ‘bring IKEA into the heart of urban areas, as it responds to the continued growth of city living and changing consumer lifestyles’.
IKEA UK and Ireland country retail manager Javier Quiñones explained: “In a fast-changing retail environment, the opening of this new city centre shop marks an exciting development for the IKEA business as we continue to innovate and transform to better meet the needs of our customers. We are proud that London is the first city globally to pilot this concept, as we aim to be more accessible and bring IKEA closer to many more people.
“Urbanisation and inner-city living are trends that continue to dominate the market. By launching this new approach and investing in our online offer and services, we are working to ensure IKEA remains affordable, convenient and sustainable, both now and in the future.”
IKEA said more details, including the name of the Tottenham Court Road store, will be released in due course. The retailer added that it is exploring other locations in London for similar outlets, as well as opportunities to test and trial different formats in the city centre. IKEA is due to open its leading sustainable store in Greenwich in 2019.
