Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Swedish housewares giant Ikea has revealed plans to open its first Order and Collection Point in London at Westfield Stratford City.
Set to open in the summer, the Order and Collection Point is a new format for Ikea and Westfield will be the retailer’s first unit to open inside a UK shopping centre.
Acting primarily as a planning studio to plan and order purchases such as kitchens, wardrobes and sofas, Ikea Westfield Stratford City Order and Collection Point will also feature room sets.
It will not carry the full product range to take home but customers will be able to order from the full range for home delivery or for collection. In addition a small range of the ‘markethall’ items will be available for customers to take home on the day of their visit.
Ikea Order and Collection development manager Jack Jackson said: “We are really excited to be bringing this new Ikea format to Westfield Stratford City in London. It is our first Order and Collection Point in London as well as in a major shopping centre location in the UK and this marks an important milestone in making our products and services available to more customers.”
“We recognise that customers today want to shop with us in different ways and our Order and Collections Points are developed to offer a new way for people to interact with us.
“Located within five minutes of train stations and close to major bus routes Ikea Westfield Stratford City Order and Collection Point will be easy to access by public transport – something that we know is important to many customers who live in London.”
Westfield director of leasing Keith Mabbett said: “Westfield is very pleased that Ikea has chosen our Stratford City centre as its first London location for its new Order and Collection Point.
“We believe that this will prove a popular drawcard for shoppers, strengthening Westfield Stratford City’s destination for homeware shopping. Our respective teams have worked extremely hard to secure the 900sq m retailing space in order to optimise the customer experience.”
Ikea is testing a number of similar Order and Collection Points across the UK. The first opened in Norwich last November, the second will open in Aberdeen on May 12 and a third is planned for Birmingham city centre later this summer.
