IKEA new store concept to open in Hammersmith next month
Due to open on 24 February, IKEA’s new store in Hammersmith will feature a new format to enable customers to shop a wide range of IKEA products on the high street.
The retailer said it will be the first of its kind in the UK following the launch of eight other stores in the format globally.
With a focus on home accessories and soft furnishings, roomsets in the store will aim to bring to life urban living. Larger home furniture pieces will also be on display which customers will be able to order for home delivery or to nearby collection points.
Set across two floors with 4,600 square metres of space, IKEA Hammersmith will be approximately one quarter of the size of a traditional IKEA store, with 4,000 product lines on display and 1,800 available to take away on the same day. With a free-flowing layout, the store will not feature the retailer’s traditional Market Hall area, but instead will have products situated next to the roomsets they represent.
In addition, the shop will feature a ‘Swedish Deli’ serving hot and cold traditional delicacies, including Smörrebröd open sandwiches, Nordic Chicken Caesar and Swedish Mazarin. Variations of IKEA’s traditional meatballs, including plant balls, will also be available. Customers will have both dine-in and takeaway options.
Due to the Deli being positioned on the edge of the store, IKEA said it will open at 8am on weekdays, one hour earlier than the store itself, to enable commuters to ‘grab and go’ on their way to work.
Peter Jelkeby, country retail manager and chief sustainability officer at IKEA UK & Ireland said: “As shopping habits evolve and city centres continue to be redefined in the wake of the pandemic, this new store format marks the next step in our business transformation as we strive to make IKEA more accessible, affordable and sustainable.”
“For the first time, Londoner’s will be able to take the tube to an IKEA store, pop in, grab a yellow bag and buy all the home furnishing accessories that make a house a home. They will also be able to explore the whole range, for delivery to a convenient collection point or directly to their home.”
IKEA Hammersmith will be situated within ‘LIVAT Hammersmith’, a new meeting place by Ingka Centres. Since acquiring the Kings Mall shopping centre in 2019, Ingka Centres has begun the transformation of the space to a mixed-used destination where people can come together to “experience new things, eat and shop”.
