Ikea to open new ‘small stores' – here's where and what you can buy there
The small store style will be located on existing retail parks in Harlow, Norwich and Chester, designed to offer customers a quicker shopping experience than is typically seen in their trademark giant warehouses.
An Ikea spokesperson told The Independent they expect more than 100 jobs to be created across all three sites, with the Harlow store opening its doors on 24 July and the other two set to follow later in 2025.
Unlike larger Ikea stores, which typically have dozens of showrooms set up and decorated with their furniture, the new smaller stores are intended to be easier to navigate and will allow customers to visit a hall of the most popular products, scan second-hand options and take home furnishings or small furniture items the same day.
There will also be online access for collection or next-day delivery service for bigger items, as well as planning services for decorating kitchens and bathrooms.
Selected food will also be available in-store or for takeaway.
The new stores will open on former Homebase sites at the following retail parks:
Harlow: Harlow Retail Park
Norwich: Hall Road Retail Park
Chester: Greyhound Retail Park.
No date is yet confirmed for the opening of the Norwich and Chester stores, but an Ikea spokesperson said they should follow a similar timeframe to the Harlow store being open 'just over 100 days after the lease was secured'.
Peter Jelkeby, CEO of Ikea UK and Ireland, said: 'The opening of the Ikea Harlow small store is a landmark moment for us as we continue to evolve our retail offer and explore new ways to serve more people in more places. We look forward to joining this thriving town as part of the local community when we open our doors later this month.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
HMRC issues warning over late tax payments due imminently
HMRC has issued a warning to anyone who completed a self-assessment tax return earlier this year, as a new deadline looms. A self-assessment tax return must be completed by anyone who is self-employed or who receives income other than from their regular job, such as from a rental income, dividend or a side hustle. That helps to determine how much tax and National Insurance Contributions they must then pay on those earnings. While self-assessments must be completed annually by 31 January, a second mid-year payment must be made on 31 July, which goes towards the next tax year bill. That means payments made this month contribute to the final tax payment needed on your 2024-25 tax bill. Anyone who misses the 31 July deadline will see fines imposed at a high rate of interest – 8.25 per cent on any tax owed – with further penalties possible the longer non-payment continues. A full breakdown of who needs to make this payment and how to do so can be found online here, but HMRC impose penalties on those who miss this month's deadline, with interest accruing on the unpaid amount from 1 August. 'Prompt payment is important - if you continue to delay, the interest keeps adding up, potentially leading to a much larger tax bill,' HMRC told The Independent. Additionally, extra penalties can quickly add up if you leave the tax bill unpaid for longer. While the following apply only if the tax remains unpaid for 30 days or more, they will rapidly mount up: 5 per cent of the unpaid tax at 30 days Another 5 per cent at 6 months And a further 5 per cent at 12 months You do not need to wait until 31 January to pay your bill. You can pay via your HMRC Self Assessment account or by bank transfer, debit card, Direct Debit or the HMRC app. If you're struggling to pay, HMRC says it's best to take action early. You may be able to set up a Time to Pay arrangement online, allowing you to spread payments over a longer period. You can find more details here on what to do if you can't pay your tax bill on time.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Reuters
Indian eyewear retailer Lenskart files for IPO, to raise $247 million in fresh issue
July 29 (Reuters) - India's biggest eyewear retailer Lenskart ( opens new tab has filed for an initial public offering, which includes the issue of fresh shares worth 21.5 billion rupees ($247.58 million), its draft prospectus showed on Tuesday. Large shareholders of the company, known as "promoters", will also cumulatively sell 132.3 million shares. These include Japan's SoftBank (9984.T), opens new tab, Mumbai-based private equity firm Kedaara and Singapore state investor Temasek. Incorporated in 2010, Lenskart is valued at $6.1 billion as of June 13, data from Traxcn showed. It is the largest retailer of eyewear in the country, followed by Specsmakers and ClearDekho. Morgan Stanley, Kotak Mahindra Capital, Axis Capital Holdings and Citi are among the lead bookrunning managers for the IPO. Proceeds from the offering will be used to set up new company-owned, company-operated (CoCo) stores across the country, invest in technology and cloud infrastructure, and for general corporate purposes, the draft prospectus said. The company's total debt stands at 4.97 billion rupees, as of fiscal year ended March 2024, according to Traxcn data. ($1 = 86.8400 Indian rupees)
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Reuters
Indian eyewear retailer Lenskart files for IPO
July 29 (Reuters) - Lenskart ( opens new tab, India's biggest eyewear retailer, filed for an initial public offering, which will include the issue of 21.5 billion rupees ($247.58 million) of fresh shares, its draft prospectus showed on Tuesday. ($1 = 86.8400 Indian rupees)
