Ikea — doyen of the flatpack furniture scene — has announced that it will open a store in Tottenham Court Road, central London.
Due to open this autumn, the miniature store will specialise in kitchens and wardrobes — occupying the spot formerly inhabited by furniture retailer Multiyork.
Said Javier Quiñones, Ikea UK and Ireland country retail manager:
Urbanisation and inner-city living are trends that continue to dominate the market.
By launching this new approach and investing in our online offer and services, we are working to ensure Ikea remains affordable, convenient and sustainable, both now and in the future.
This smaller, central store reflects a new approach from Ikea, whose profits, apparently fell 40% last year.
For Londoners without cars, the city's outskirt-based Ikeas in Croydon and Edmonton have often proved too far out of town to be practical. Now we can expect to see the lifts at Goodge Street station ram-packed with Songesand wardrobes and Kilner jars every Saturday.
Meanwhile, Ikea is building an outlet in Greenwich; its first full-size store in London for 13 years.
