Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Housewares and home furnishing retailer Ikea opened the doors of its Norwich Order and Collection Point yesterday (Monday November 2).
Described as the first of its kind in the UK, the format is ‘considerably smaller’ than a traditional Ikea store and has been designed to ‘bring Ikea’s range and expertise closer to customers who find themselves distant from a full-size store’.
Acting primarily as a planning studio to plan purchases such as kitchens and wardrobes and sofas, Ikea Norwich also features room sets/ Due to its size, it does not carry the full product range to take home but customers will be able to order from the online range for home delivery or for collection at the collection point. In addition, a small range of the ‘market hall’ items will be available for customers to buy and take home on the day of their visit.
A specialty café with free Wi-Fi, and a small selection of take-home Swedish food market products, including frozen meatballs, complete the offer.
Ikea Norwich Order and Collection Point manager Roger Cooper said: “We’re delighted to bring this unique version of Ikea to East Anglia this November. Today customers in the region shop with us online but they have to travel considerable distances to our Lakeside or Milton Keynes stores to see the range or get advice from our co-workers. The Order and Collection Point is a fantastic opportunity to connect all the ways you can shop with us in one place, right here in Norwich.
He added: “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback on Ikea’s arrival in the area and so we expect the first few weeks will be quite busy. We look forward to welcoming new and existing customers to the Order and Collection Point over the coming months.”
IKEA first announced plans to trial the new format store in Norwich in June and after gaining access to the site in late July, has been working to bring the Ikea home furnishings offer to life. Ikea Order and Collection development manager Jack Jackson said: “We’re so excited to be opening the UK’s first Order and Collection Point in Norwich. Given the unique format, we’ve been able to bring the Ikea product range and experience to a new market more quickly than ever before.”
As part of its expansion plans to make Ikea more accessible to many more people, the company will be testing a number of similar Order and Collection Points across the UK. It has already begun recruitment of a 30-strong team for an Order and Collection Point in Aberdeen. This new store will be located at Wellington Circle and is expected to open in Spring 2016, subject to final approvals.
