Ikea has announced the closure of one of its stores, just two years after its grand opening. The retailer will be shutting down its Plan and Order point located at the Stockport Merseyway Shopping Centre on June 16.
Plan and Order points at Ikea are smaller retail locations that specialize in assisting customers with planning for their kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms, offering design advice to shoppers.
While shoppers cannot directly take items home from a Plan and Order point, they have the option to place orders for home delivery. The nearest Ikea store to the closing location is situated in Ashton-under-Lyne in Tameside.
Salma Azad, Ikea’s area manager, expressed, “After thorough evaluation, we have made the tough decision to close the Ikea Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre. We have gathered valuable insights over the past two years, including how our customers prefer to engage with Ikea, and we plan to incorporate these learnings into our future endeavors to better serve our shoppers.”
The closure follows the recent opening of Ikea’s new store on Oxford Street in London, occupying three floors of a seven-story building, with a retail space of 5,800 square meters. This store is the second smaller format Ikea branch, following the Hammersmith store that opened in 2023, offering around 6,000 product lines, with 3,500 available for immediate purchase.
Each product in the Oxford Street store is labeled with either a yellow or red tag, indicating whether it is available for immediate purchase or requires ordering for home delivery or click and collect services.
Peter Jelkeby, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA UK, commented, “The IKEA store at Oxford Street will feature familiar elements along with new exclusive features tailored for this iconic city center location. We are ecstatic to share this landmark moment with our customers following a meticulous renovation process.”
Tolga Öncü, Ingka Retail Manager (COO) at IKEA Retail (Ingka Group), added, “The addition of Oxford Street to the IKEA store network holds special significance for us. This store, situated in one of the world’s busiest and most renowned streets, underlines our commitment to innovate our retail presence and make IKEA accessible to our customers where they live, work, and socialize.”
IKEA remains dedicated to offering well-designed and affordable products to a broader audience in city centers worldwide as part of its ongoing strategy.