Ikea to open three small format stores at former Homebase sites

Ikea is set to open three smaller format stores at retail parks around the country, taking on former Homebase units.

The home furnishings retailer will be opening the new stores at Greyhound Retail Park in Chester, Harlow Retail Park in Harlow, and Hall Road Retail Park in Norwich.

Each store will offer up to 5,000 product lines, as well as click-and-collect services, a market hall, and food-to-go items.

This comes ahead of Ikea’s upcoming opening on London’s Oxford Street this spring. The retailer is also set to open a store in Brighton later in the year.

Peter Jelkeby, chief executive officer of Ikea UK and Ireland, said: “We know many people want to shop with Ikea but in some instances we are just too far away.

“That’s why we are strategically expanding our UK footprint, with the aim of showing up in convenient, accessible locations for our customers.

“Centrally located in retail parks, our three new stores mark a major step forward in our expansion plan, making it easier than ever for customers in these areas to shop with us.

“Harlow, Chester and Norwich have long been areas of interest to us, and we’re looking forward to bringing the very best of the Ikea experience in a refreshingly compact format to these communities later this year.”