Ikea is to finally open its twice delayed £450 million flagship store in Oxford Street in a move that is hoped will revitalise London’s busiest shopping street.
The Swedish flatpack firm’s long-awaited outlet will open on Thursday at the former Topshop store – three years after the company bought the site.
An original opening date had been mooted for autumn 2023 but renovations and work to fix a leaky basement caused an 18-month delay.
The furniture retailer previously revealed it was taking longer than expected to renovate the more than 100-year-old Grade II-listed building, and the planned opening was pushed back twice.
The three-floor 62,400 sq ft (5,800 sq m) outlet will sell around 6,000 products, of which 3,500 can be carried away by customers immediately, and will be open daily from 10am until 8pm.
The rest can be ordered for home delivery, click and collect or collection off site from lockers and other pick-up points.
It includes three ‘curated shops’ created by Londoners to ‘reflect and celebrate the character and diversity of the city’s residents’.
The store is seen by retail and council bosses as a crucial part of restoring Oxford Street to its former glory as one of the world’s premier shopping destinations.
Ikea is to finally open its twice delayed £450 million flagship store in Oxford Street in a move that is hoped will revitalise London’s busiest shopping street
The three-floor 62,400 sq ft (5,800 sq m) outlet will sell around 6,000 products, of which 3,500 can be carried away by customers immediately, and will be open daily from 10am until 8pm
The store is seen by retail and council bosses as a crucial part of restoring Oxford Street to its former glory as one of the world’s premier shopping destinations
The area has become blighted by crime and homelessness in recent years having fallen into disrepair with empty shops, littered streets and falling visitor numbers – with poor quality US ‘candy stores’ and souvenir shops at the centre of concerns.
Major retailers to have closed in recent years in addition to Topshop have included House of Fraser, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Debenhams.
Problems reached a peak in August 2023 when West End stores were forced to lower their shutters and lock customers inside after large groups of mainly young men responded to a call on TikTok to join a ‘Oxford Circus JD robbery’.
But the area was boosted when HMV reopened its old flagship store in November 2023, and Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan now wants to pedestrianise 0.7 miles of the street as part of the regeneration despite warnings this could make it a crime-ridden ‘no-go area’.
Ikea said its ‘roomsets’ – the spaces in all of its stores that show complete rooms put together – have been created with ‘real people’ who live in London.
They include set-ups for working from home and running a small business, inspiration for properties with period features, ideas for basement rooms with little natural light, and designs for balconies.
In a global first for the firm, the store will feature a live studio with broadcasting capabilities enabling it to host events such as cooking demonstrations.
It will also have a Re-Shop and Re-Use section where customers can buy second-hand and discontinued Ikea products.
Ikea said its ‘roomsets’ – the spaces in all of its stores that show complete rooms put together – have been created with ‘real people’ who live in London
They include set-ups for working from home and running a small business, inspiration for properties with period features, ideas for basement rooms with little natural light, and designs for balconies
An original opening date had been mooted for autumn 2023 but renovations and work to fix a leaky basement caused an 18-month delay
It is the second UK high street store for the company – the first opened in Hammersmith in 2022 – which it described as a ‘milestone’ in a strategy to expand its presence in city centres
Inside London’s newest Ikea store which is set to open in Oxford Street on Thursday at the former Topshop store – three years after the company bought the site
A 130-seat Swedish deli will allow visitors to dine ‘affordably’ in the city centre on dishes including hot dogs from 85p and meatballs or plantballs starting at £4.95, with takeaway options also available
The store will span three floors of the seven-storey building, comprising the ground and two lower ground floors
A 130-seat Swedish deli will allow visitors to dine ‘affordably’ in the city centre on dishes including hot dogs from 85p and meatballs or plantballs starting at £4.95, with takeaway options also available.
It is the second UK high street store for the company – the first opened in Hammersmith in 2022 – which it described as a ‘milestone’ in a strategy to expand its presence in city centres with smaller formats, increasing accessibility for customers.
Another city centre store, in central Brighton, is set to open this year.
Peter Jelkeby, chief executive and chief sustainability officer of Ikea UK, said: ‘We continue to dedicate our energy to our UK expansion plans and investing heavily to become more accessible.
‘To complement our existing stores, we are laser-focused on continuing to innovate to reach more customers, with a network of new, smaller stores that offer different experiences, as well as new services that meet all of our customers’ needs – no matter where they live.’
The firm described its new location as at the ‘heart of one of the world’s most dynamic shopping streets’.
Ingka Investment, the investment arm of the retail group, bought the Grade II listed building at 214 Oxford Street after Topshop owner Arcadia fell into administration.
Tolga Oncu, Ingka retail manager, said: ‘Adding Oxford Street to the Ikea map is a special moment for us.
Ingka Investment, the investment arm of the retail group, bought the Grade II listed building at 214 Oxford Street after Topshop owner Arcadia fell into administration
The furniture retailer previously revealed it was taking longer than expected to renovate the more than 100-year-old Grade II-listed building, and the planned opening was pushed back twice
The firm described its new location as at the ‘heart of one of the world’s most dynamic shopping streets’
Products that aren’t available to take away on the day can be ordered for home delivery, click and collect or collection off site from lockers and other pick-up points
It will also have a Re-Shop and Re-Use section (not pictured here) where customers can buy second-hand and discontinued Ikea products
In a global first for the firm, the store will feature a live studio with broadcasting capabilities enabling it to host events such as cooking demonstrations
kea said it received 3,730 applications in just five days for the 150 jobs at the store when it began recruiting earlier this year
The store’s opening is seen as a crucial part of the revival of Oxford Street, which suffered a slump in visitor numbers during the Covid pandemic
Ikea was founded in Sweden in 1943, and opened its first UK store in Warrington, Cheshire, in 1987 – before its first London store in Wembley one year later
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: ‘It’s fantastic news that Ikea is opening a new flagship store on Oxford Street. It’s a huge vote of confidence in London, in our economy and in our plans to rejuvenate Oxford Street and unlock its true potential’
Tolga Oncu, Ingka retail manager, said: ‘Adding Oxford Street to the Ikea map is a special moment for us.
‘This store, on one of the busiest and most well-known streets in the world, exemplifies our ambition to innovate our retail presence and bring Ikea to where our customers live, work, and socialise.
‘Offering our well-designed and affordable products to more people in city centres across the globe remains our way forward.’
The store’s opening is seen as a crucial part of the revival of Oxford Street, which suffered a slump in visitor numbers during the Covid pandemic, leading to sites sitting vacant and the opening of a string of American sweet shops.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: ‘It’s fantastic news that Ikea is opening a new flagship store on Oxford Street.
‘It’s a huge vote of confidence in London, in our economy and in our plans to rejuvenate Oxford Street and unlock its true potential.
‘Oxford Street is one of the most famous shopping destinations in the world and we want to give it a new lease of life.
DECEMBER 2009: The flagship Topshop store opened in 1994 to much fanfare. It closed its doors for good in 2021
APRIL 2014: Crowds outside Topshop on Oxford Street waiting for model Kate Moss to arrive
NOVEMBER 2020: People walk past the closed Topshop on Oxford Street during the pandemic
OCTOBER 2021: People walk past 214 Oxford Street after Topshop’s flagship store was closed
APRIL 2006: Crowds of shoppers rush down the escalators at the Topshop store on Oxford Circus
FEBRUARY 2021: A woman wearing a face mask walks past the closed Topshop store in Oxford Street during England’s third national lockdown of the Covid pandemic
‘This involves attracting brilliant companies like Ikea, which will help to create new jobs and increase footfall.
‘We have developed bold proposals to pedestrianise Oxford Street and to establish it as a global leader for shopping, leisure and outdoor events.
‘The consultation on these plans closes on May 2 so I encourage everyone to have their say.’
Ikea was founded in Sweden in 1943, and opened its first UK store in Warrington, Cheshire, in 1987 – before its first London store in Wembley one year later.
