Ikea to open first small city store

Thirty years after Ikea arrived in Britain selling flat-pack furniture in huge out-of-town blue and yellow sheds, the Swedish retailer is to open small city center stores, The Times reports.

Javier Quiñones, 41, who took over as the retail manager of Ikea UK and Ireland last month, said that he would prioritize opening smaller stores and introducing 24-hour online delivery in response to changing consumer habits.

The first of the smaller outlets is due to open in Tottenham Court Road in central London in the autumn. The launch comes after trials of different products.

– It's not true that we have to change to survive, but what worries me is the fact that, if we don't adapt to the market now, we may no longer exist in the long run – Quiñones said, as reported by novac.hr.

Within two to three years, Ikea plans to open more of these small stores outside London as well. The company hopes that the UK might one day have more small city stores than the traditional large outlets.

Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Malmö

IKEA Srbija d.o.o. Beograd

Javier Quinones

small Ikea stores

Tottenham Court Road