Ikea pushes back opening of Oxford Street store until 2025
Ikea has pushed back the opening date of its new store in London’s Oxford Street to the spring of 2025.
The retailer said its seven-floor renovation of the Grade II listed building at Oxford Circus has been delayed due to the recent discovery of water ingress on the lower of the two basement levels.
Ikea Oxford Street will span three floors, with a total area of 82,000 square feet. The remaining four floors will be devoted to office space.
Peter van der Poel, managing director of Ingka Investments, said: “Ikea Oxford Street is a one-of-a-kind project, involving the sensitive and sustainable upgrade of a Grade II listed building that is over a hundred years old. Following the discovery of an unforeseen water ingress issue, we’re now taking vital steps to mitigate long-term flood risk, and to protect and future-proof this historic building for many years to come.”
Ikea said work in recent months has moved the project closer to the finish line, including: the removal of fossil fuel gas-fired boilers and replacing them with energy-efficient air source heat pumps, the complete replacement of all wiring, plumbing and fire protection throughout the building, conversion of the upper floors into office space, the installation of secondary glazing and the cleaning of the building’s fascia, which has enabled the giant FRAKTA bag hoarding to be removed.
Peter Jelkeby, chief executive and chief sustainability officer, Ikea UK, added: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the interest and excitement generated around our Oxford Street opening. The historic nature of the building makes its careful renovation more complex, but we want to ensure Londoners that we’re just as excited to open the store as they are to visit it. We look forward to doing so in spring 2025 and contributing to a positive future for London’s most renowned shopping district.”
Customers at the store will be to explore around 6,000 different Ikea products, with about half being made available for immediate take away. Larger furniture items will be delivered directly to customers’ homes or will be picked up from Ikea collection points being rolled out across the capital.
