Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
IKEA launched a new store in Greenwich last week (Thursday, February 7).
Located at Millennium Way Retail Park, the 32,000sq m branch is the retailer’s first full-sized IKEA to open in London in 14 years and has been designed as a place for Londoners ‘to meet, share, learn and shop’.
Helen Aylett, store manager at IKEA Greenwich, said: “We’re thrilled to open the doors to our new store in Greenwich. IKEA Greenwich aims to take sustainability to the next level – not just in its design and architecture, but by inspiring and enabling Londoners to live a more sustainable life at home through our products, workshops and activities.
“The store has been built with the local community in mind and provides a number of flexible spaces and facilities which people can use for free, such as a roof pavilion and community garden.”
IKEA Greenwich is the 22nd full-sized IKEA store to open in the UK. In addition to the rooftop garden and pavilion, it features a Learning Lab for customers to explore the themes of upcycling, reducing waste and growing their own food.
The store also incorporates several renewable construction materials and green technologies including solar panels, rainwater harvesting, geothermal heating and 100% LED lighting. IKEA Greenwich is aiming to achieve 100% renewable energy and is targeting BREEAM [Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method] ‘Outstanding’ accreditation.
The store is highly accessible by public transport: in addition to tube and rail links, up to 50 buses pass by or near the store every hour. A wide choice of affordable delivery options is also available, from 24-hour delivery for those living within the borough of Greenwich, to a Zedify bike courier service and Hertz EV van hire. And throughout the first 10 weeks after opening, there will be a subsidised home delivery service for anyone arriving to the store on public transport (£15 instead of £35).
Helen continued: “We know that choice, convenience, value and speed are key, and most people like to go shopping without the hassle of having to get everything back home. Instead of bringing their cars, we’re encouraging our customers to simply bring their keys, phone and wallet and we’ll sort out the rest.”
Over 500 new jobs have been created at IKEA Greenwich, with more than half of all co-workers recruited from the local area.
The opening of IKEA Greenwich is the next step in IKEA UK’s ongoing city-centre approach, starting with London, as it ‘responds to the growth of urban living’. In addition to IKEA Greenwich and existing full-sized London stores in Wembley, Tottenham, Croydon and Lakeside, IKEA opened its first ever Planning Studio on Tottenham Court Road in October 2018 and will open a further one on Bromley High Street in spring 2019.
