Tomorrow, Swedish design giant IKEA will open the doors to its hotly anticipated store on London’s Oxford Street.
The new space, set inside a Grade II listed building, gives shoppers a more centrally located branch that spans three floors, and features curated shops, the iconic showroom walkthrough, and importantly – the IKEA restaurant.
The renovation, which has been overseen by London-based firm BDP (which also designed the Hammersmith branch out to the west of the central city), has taken time. For years, the site has been vacant, having once been home to the Topshop flagship store, before the brand put on an exhibition dedicated to the iconic Frakta bag late last year.
Now, the architects have transformed the three floors into a furniture-filled maze. Given that the store’s location is in central London, they tried to take into account the lack of space many city dwellers have, curating sets accordingly. According to Peter Jelkeby, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA UK, many of these spaces have been designed with Londoners themselves. “Created in collaboration with real voices and with Londoners in mind, opening our doors is a landmark moment following a meticulous renovation,” he adds.
Noting the more central location, Jelkeby adds that it is a “milestone” in the brand’s journey to becoming more accessible. “It will be an IKEA many know and love, with some new features exclusive to this iconic city centre store,” he adds.
Among these features are the Curated Shops on the Ground Floor, which celebrates the diversity of the city through design by showing what real Londoners would buy in a series of shopping edits. This will be updated multiple times throughout the year.
The Showroom is curated to reflect the real homes of people living in London to inspire others – from those in basements with little natural light, to those living amongst period features. The all-important Swedish Deli serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner; a Live Studio is equipped with broadcasting capabilities; and a “Re-Shop and Re-Use” section is dedicated to extending the life of preloved furniture.
Finally, a robust delivery service answers the question across everyone’s lips: how do you take a sofa home on the tube?
“This store, on one of the busiest and most well-known streets in the world, exemplifies our ambition to innovate our retail presence and bring IKEA to where our customers live, work, and socialise,” said Tolga Öncü, Ingka Retail Manager at IKEA Retail. “Offering our well-designed and affordable products to more people in city centres across the globe remains our way forward.”
IKEA Oxford Street will open daily from tomorrow, April 30, from 10am to 8pm.
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