IKEA to shut TWO UK stores tomorrow after ‘lessons learned' – is one going near you?
Read on to find which shops near you might be closing
BED-DER SAFE IKEA to shut TWO UK stores tomorrow after 'lessons learned' – is one going near you?
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IKEA is shutting down two UK stores in just hours as a result of "valuable learnings".
The Swedish retailer has 22 stores across the UK after opening its first branch in Warrington, Cheshire in 1987.
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Ikea will close two stores in just hours
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The plan and Order point in Liverpool will shut down on June 16
The retail giant, founded in Sweden in 1943, has announced its plans to close the Aintree Plan and Order Point store in Liverpool.
The first 'test and trial format' in the UK was set up in December 2022 at the Aintree Racecourse Retail Park store.
The smaller Plan & Order Point store provided customers with home furnishing guidance and was devoted to kitchen and bedroom planning.
According to Ikea, the closure was "a result of valuable learnings which will take the conceptual format in a direction to better suit the needs of UK customers."
A spokesperson for Ikea said: 'There has been an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, something which, owing to the space available, the current location is unable to offer.
'To better service its customers, future Plan and Order Point openings, including in Dundee, Hull and York will offer these services.
"IKEA also remains committed to trialling new formats including its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in Chester later this year.'
The Aintree Plan and Order points will be shutting down for good on June 16.
Any purchases made by customers can be picked up from Tesco Extra Birkenhead, Tesco Superstore Old Swan, the Warrington store, or the soon-to-open, smaller Chester location.
IKEA Stockport in Merseyway Shopping Centre, which opened just two years ago, will also cease operations on the same day.
Sneak peek inside new Oxford Street Ikea
The current Stockport customers are now being directed to the next nearest main IKEA store, the branch in Ashton-under-Lyne in Tameside.
Locals can also now pick up their IKEA purchases from Tesco Extra in Stockport and the Tesco Extra in Stretford as part of Click and Collect.
Other Plan and Order points, such as the ones in Dundee, York and Hull, will be adapted to meet those new demands and also include a small range of home furnishing accessories to buy.
The news comes after IKEA opened its own hotel in the Canary Islands.
Boasting cheap rooms, a swimming pool and breakfast, it also offers some of their most popular homeware items.
Las Dunas de Santa Catalina Boutique House is a new two-star hotel owned by the interiors brand in Gran Canaria.
Rooms start from £105 a night, which includes a continental breakfast, and works out to just over £50 a night for two people.
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North Wales Live
6 hours ago
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IKEA gets planning application approved for new store on North Wales border
The opening of a new IKEA store on the North Wales border has moved a step closer. IKEA is taking on the old Homebase site at Greyhound Retail Park in Chester. It confirmed back in April its plans to bring its renowned home furnishing solutions to Chester later this year. The new Chester branch is set to deliver the classic IKEA shopping experience albeit on a more intimate scale than usual. Customers will also be treated to an on-the-go food selection, featuring the celebrated IKEA meatballs among other items. Last week Cheshire West and Chester Council approved the application for new signage. They said it fitted with the local visual landscape and was safe for the public due to its straightforward design and placement. . Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox A council report advocating for approval, said: "It is considered that the proposed signage is acceptable with regards to visual amenity given its design and as it largely replaces existing signage. It is considered the proposed signage would maintain current levels of public safety given the simple form, design and position. Advertisement consent is recommended with the standard advertisement conditions and approved plans condition." " Back in April, IKEA UK and Ireland's CEO, Peter Jelkeby, shed light on the company's strategy regarding their British presence: "We know many people want to shop with IKEA but in some instances 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.", reports Cheshire Live. He further elaborated on the Chester store plans: "In Chester we've been looking for the perfect location for many years. The site on the Greyhound Retail Park ensures visitors from across Cheshire, North Wales and surrounding areas have more convenient access to a local IKEA store."
Scottish Sun
11 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
IKEA to shut TWO UK stores tomorrow after ‘lessons learned' – is one going near you?
Read on to find which shops near you might be closing BED-DER SAFE IKEA to shut TWO UK stores tomorrow after 'lessons learned' – is one going near you? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IKEA is shutting down two UK stores in just hours as a result of "valuable learnings". The Swedish retailer has 22 stores across the UK after opening its first branch in Warrington, Cheshire in 1987. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Ikea will close two stores in just hours Credit: Getty 2 The plan and Order point in Liverpool will shut down on June 16 The retail giant, founded in Sweden in 1943, has announced its plans to close the Aintree Plan and Order Point store in Liverpool. The first 'test and trial format' in the UK was set up in December 2022 at the Aintree Racecourse Retail Park store. The smaller Plan & Order Point store provided customers with home furnishing guidance and was devoted to kitchen and bedroom planning. According to Ikea, the closure was "a result of valuable learnings which will take the conceptual format in a direction to better suit the needs of UK customers." A spokesperson for Ikea said: 'There has been an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, something which, owing to the space available, the current location is unable to offer. 'To better service its customers, future Plan and Order Point openings, including in Dundee, Hull and York will offer these services. "IKEA also remains committed to trialling new formats including its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in Chester later this year.' The Aintree Plan and Order points will be shutting down for good on June 16. Any purchases made by customers can be picked up from Tesco Extra Birkenhead, Tesco Superstore Old Swan, the Warrington store, or the soon-to-open, smaller Chester location. IKEA Stockport in Merseyway Shopping Centre, which opened just two years ago, will also cease operations on the same day. Sneak peek inside new Oxford Street Ikea The current Stockport customers are now being directed to the next nearest main IKEA store, the branch in Ashton-under-Lyne in Tameside. Locals can also now pick up their IKEA purchases from Tesco Extra in Stockport and the Tesco Extra in Stretford as part of Click and Collect. Other Plan and Order points, such as the ones in Dundee, York and Hull, will be adapted to meet those new demands and also include a small range of home furnishing accessories to buy. The news comes after IKEA opened its own hotel in the Canary Islands. Boasting cheap rooms, a swimming pool and breakfast, it also offers some of their most popular homeware items. Las Dunas de Santa Catalina Boutique House is a new two-star hotel owned by the interiors brand in Gran Canaria. Rooms start from £105 a night, which includes a continental breakfast, and works out to just over £50 a night for two people.
The Sun
11 hours ago
- The Sun
IKEA to shut TWO UK stores tomorrow after ‘lessons learned' – is one going near you?
IKEA is shutting down two UK stores in just hours as a result of "valuable learnings". The Swedish retailer has 22 stores across the UK after opening its first branch in Warrington, Cheshire in 1987. 2 2 The retail giant, founded in Sweden in 1943, has announced its plans to close the Aintree Plan and Order Point store in Liverpool. The first 'test and trial format' in the UK was set up in December 2022 at the Aintree Racecourse Retail Park store. The smaller Plan & Order Point store provided customers with home furnishing guidance and was devoted to kitchen and bedroom planning. According to Ikea, the closure was "a result of valuable learnings which will take the conceptual format in a direction to better suit the needs of UK customers." A spokesperson for Ikea said: 'There has been an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, something which, owing to the space available, the current location is unable to offer. 'To better service its customers, future Plan and Order Point openings, including in Dundee, Hull and York will offer these services. "IKEA also remains committed to trialling new formats including its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in Chester later this year.' The Aintree Plan and Order points will be shutting down for good on June 16. Any purchases made by customers can be picked up from Tesco Extra Birkenhead, Tesco Superstore Old Swan, the Warrington store, or the soon-to-open, smaller Chester location. IKEA Stockport in Merseyway Shopping Centre, which opened just two years ago, will also cease operations on the same day. Sneak peek inside new Oxford Street Ikea The current Stockport customers are now being directed to the next nearest main IKEA store, the branch in Ashton-under-Lyne in Tameside. Locals can also now pick up their IKEA purchases from Tesco Extra in Stockport and the Tesco Extra in Stretford as part of Click and Collect. Other Plan and Order points, such as the ones in Dundee, York and Hull, will be adapted to meet those new demands and also include a small range of home furnishing accessories to buy. The news comes after IKEA opened its own hotel in the Canary Islands. Boasting cheap rooms, a swimming pool and breakfast, it also offers some of their most popular homeware items. Las Dunas de Santa Catalina Boutique House is a new two-star hotel owned by the interiors brand in Gran Canaria. Rooms start from £105 a night, which includes a continental breakfast, and works out to just over £50 a night for two people. Why are retailers closing stores? RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024. End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker. It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date. This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns. The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker. Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations. Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes. Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
