Weeks away from its latest city centre store, Ikea has debuted a small store format suitable for towns.
The chain has opened the first of three new format small stores in the former Homebase store in Harlow.
The new retail park locations are designed to offer a simpler, faster shopping experience for customers, as part of Ikea’s strategy to be closer to where people live, work and shop.
The stores feature a curated showroom, seasonal collections, and access to Ikea’s 12,000-strong product range, which can be delivered directly to their home or collected from the store with free next-day collection.
There is the option to buy vintage items for store credit, planning services for kitchens and bedroom storage and food area. The store has 40 staff.
‘The opening of Ikea Harlow marks an exciting milestone as we explore new ways to bring Ikea closer to our customers. We are opening our doors just over 100 days after acquiring the lease to the site, having made use of the existing structure to get our store ready at pace,’ says Peter Jelkeby, Ikea UK & Ireland ceo.
‘By continuously reviewing and adapting our store formats, we aim to offer a more personalised and accessible retail experience. These new small-format stores fit seamlessly into our wider omnichannel strategy, ensuring our physical and digital channels work together to meet the diverse needs of our customers.
‘We’re thrilled that customers in the Harlow area can now conveniently drop into our retail park store – whether they’re looking for home furnishing inspiration, expert planning services, or our iconic meatballs – and we look forward to bringing this new offering to Norwich and Chester very soon.’
The chain’s Brighton store is due to open on 14 August.
