Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Home furnishings retailer IKEA has revealed plans to open a new store, in the Berkshire town of Reading, on Thursday July 14.
The branch will be the first to be built by IKEA in the UK in seven years. The 32,000sq m premises on Pincents Lane in Calcot will create up to 350 jobs. Recruitment and training of newly appointed co-workers has already begun, with just 130 roles left to fill.
IKEA Reading store manager Johanna Heuren said: “We’re thrilled to announce the official IKEA Reading store opening date as we continue to move closer to bringing our home furnishings offer to people in the Thames Valley.
“We’re still on the look-out for passionate and curious co-workers to be part of the team that brings IKEA to people in the Thames Valley, so I encourage anyone who shares our passion for home furnishings and people to get in touch.”
In preparation for the store opening, IKEA has made a £4m investment in improving local roads and junctions. The road improvement works include replacing the existing roundabout on the A4 to form a new signalised junction, widening Pincents Lane and improving lighting and routes for pedestrians.
IKEA Reading will be the 19th IKEA store in the UK. The first opened in Warrington in 1987. IKEA Group operates 330 stores in 28 countries. In addition there are more than 40 stores run by franchisees outside the IKEA Group. The IKEA Group had 771 million visits during FY15 and 1.9 billion people visited www.ikea.com
