Ikea reveals opening date for new town centre store giving new lease of life to empty Debenhams on busy high street
IKEA will open a new store in a major city centre next year as it continues its focus on high street locations.
The shop in Churchill Square, Brighton, will replace the former Debenhams store which has been empty since 2021, when the high street giant fell into administration.
Ikea has moved away from big warehouse stores in recent years and is now eyeing up smaller sites.
It already has a smaller store in Hammersmith, London, and has unveiled plans for a shop on Oxford Street, which will replace Topshop’s flagship store.
The Swedish giant has not yet confirmed the exact date when the Brighton store will open but has said it will be in 2025.
But it revealed to the Sun that it will be after the Oxford Street location has opened its doors next spring.
The launch of the Oxford Street store has been pushed back several times during the renovation of the seven-floor building.
The Churchill Square Ikea will be the homeware retailer’s 23rd store in the UK.
Plans for the site were revealed last year, to the excitement of shoppers.
It will stock a wide array of the brand’s most popular products, including 6,000 items on display and 3,000 available for immediate purchase.
Staff will be on hand to help customers plan a new kitchen, bedroom or bathroom installation.
The full Ikea range will be available for delivery.
There will also be a Swedish Deli where customers will be able to tuck into the retailer’s iconic meatballs.
The store will also have on-site parking and electric vehicle charging points.
It will be accessible by bus or using a cycle lane.
Ikea’s first city centre shop opened in Tottenham Court Road, London, in October 2018.
Cut costs by joining Ikea Family
YOU could save money and get instant rewards by joining Ikea Family.
Signing up is a straightforward process and can be done either online or in-store.
To join Ikea Family online, visit www.ikea.com/gb/en/ikea-family.
You will need to provide some personal information, such as your name, email address, and home address.
You’ll also be asked to create a password for your account.
Once you’ve registered, Ikea will issue a digital Family card to your email, and this can saved on your phone.
The furniture giant no longer issues physical Ikea Family cards.
If you want to sign up for the membership scheme in-store, look for an Ikea Family kiosk.
These are usually located near the entrance or customer service area.
Follow the on-screen instructions to sign up for the Ikea Family membership.
Some kiosks may print out a temporary Ikea Family card for you to use immediately.
You will also receive a digital version of your card via email.
Although it closed in July 2021, the homeware brand has continued to focus on the high street.
In its company report Peter Jelkeby, chief executive and chief sustainability officer at Ikea UK, said: “We continue to dedicate our energy to our UK expansion plans.
“We are laser-focused on continuing to innovate to reach more customers, with a network of new, smaller stores that offer different experiences.”
He added that the stores will also include “new services that meet all of our customers’ needs, no matter where they live”.
The report also revealed that Ikea sales slumped by 2.4% last year, which the retailer said was due to its decision to prioritise affordability by lowering prices.
The cost of almost 3,000 products were slashed last year, offering customers an average price reduction of around 19%.
Among the items to see their prices cut were the Malm chest of three drawers and Ikea 365+ frying pan.
Where is my closest Ikea?
A quick way of figuring out if you have an Ikea store near you is by using the retailer’s locator tool on its website.
You just have to enter the town or city where you live, or your postcode and it will pull up the nearest site.
The same page has a helpful map showing where all of the 21 current stores are located.
Below we reveal the full list of Ikea stores in the UK:
- Croydon
- Hammersmith
- Greenwich
- Lakeside
- Wembley
- Birmingham (Wednesbury)
- Nottingham
- Bristol
- Cardiff
- Exeter
- Belfast
- Manchester
- Warrington
- Edinburgh
- Gateshead
- Glasgow
- Leeds
- Sheffield
- Milton Keynes
- Reading
- Southampton
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