Ikea to create 1,300 jobs in the UK
Ikea is to create over 1,300 UK jobs by the end of 2018 through the opening of new stores in Exeter, Greenwich and Sheffield.
The news comes as the home furnishings retailer celebrates groundbreaking for construction of the Exeter store which will create 350 jobs. The store will open in early summer 2018.
Meanwhile, Ikea Sheffield will launch in late summer 2017 and create 480 new jobs. Ikea Greenwich will open in late 2018 and create 500 jobs.
Gillian Drakeford, country retail manager for Ikea UK & Ireland, said: “As we mark the construction of our new Exeter store, we’re pleased to announce the creation of over 1,300 new jobs in the UK by the end of 2018. As we continue to expand, we’re delighted to bring investment to new areas across the country and create new opportunities for local communities. New jobs in our Exeter, Sheffield and Greenwich stores will bring our total number of co-workers in the UK and Ireland to approximately 11,700.”
The roles on offer in the stores and contact centres will span a number of areas including store management, food and beverage, customer relations, sales, interior design, IT, sustainability and marketing.
Ikea currently has 19 stores in the the UK and the three new shops will bring the total to 22. In addition. the retailer has four order and collection points which are smaller format stores.
The company is celebrating its 30th anniversary in the UK this year. In November 2016, IKEA announced its fifth consecutive year of growth in the UK with annual sales worth £1.72 billion and an 8.9% sales uplift.
