UK Ikea boss backs calls to pedestrianise Oxford Avenue as flagship retailer opens | Ikea

The UK boss of Ikea has backed calls to pedestrianise Oxford Avenue because the world’s largest furnishings retailer lastly opens its delayed retailer in London’s prime buying vacation spot.

The Swedish firm’s three-floor store within the constructing that was once Topshop’s former flagship retailer, with a mixture of meatballs, lampshades and kitchen design help, opens on Thursday, 18 months later than deliberate.

Sitting in one of many mini-room units designed to indicate off Ikea’s vary of furnishings on the new retailer, Peter Jekelby, the chief government of Ikea’s UK enterprise, stated he thought a plan to pedestrianise Oxford Avenue, backed by London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, could be “good for the road” and “make it simpler to maneuver round”.

Khan stated the Ikea retailer was “an enormous vote of confidence in London, in our economic system and in our plans to rejuvenate Oxford Avenue” and that attracting new corporations would assist “create new jobs and enhance footfall”.

He stated the “daring proposals” to pedestrianise Oxford Avenue have been topic to session that closes on 2 Might “so I encourage everybody to have their say”.

Jekelby added that Ikea, which can make use of greater than 100 folks in its new London retailer, was dedicated to opening extra retailers within the UK, with plans for a significant new website in Brighton this summer time and smaller retailers in Norwich, Chester and Harlow in Essex.

“After that we’ll take inventory,” he stated. “There are nonetheless locations and house that we could possibly be current in.” He stated Ikea was “about affordability” and so may thrive even in a time of “thinner wallets”.

He referred to as on the UK authorities to foster stability within the UK market and to not overwhelm retailers with extra prices – after a rise in employer nationwide insurance coverage expenses.

Jekelby stated that enterprise charges wanted a rethink so that they have been “more healthy for function” and didn’t “penalise sure methods of buying” – as at the moment those that function shops face increased prices from the property-based tax than rivals who function solely on-line.

The intense and vibrant – and largely underground – Oxford Avenue outlet features a 130-seat Swedish deli, a dwell occasions house and one-to-one design companies for kitchens, bedrooms and residing rooms. The house can also be brightened by large animated shows of woodland scenes, buzzing bees and all kinds of Londoners who speak about their residence design decisions – a few of that are recreated within the retailer.

It is going to show about 6,000 Ikea merchandise, starting from “Billy” bookcases to consuming glasses, and about 3,500 of these objects will probably be accessible to remove on the spot, whereas the remaining may be delivered to houses.

The shop’s opening is regarded by some as key to hopes for a revival of Oxford Avenue, which has regularly been rejuvenated after a droop in customer numbers in the course of the Covid pandemic, after which quite a lot of websites sat vacant whereas a plethora of low-cost American sweet outlets moved in.

Up to now two years, the variety of vacancies and sweet outlets have dropped and the road has been boosted by new openings, together with HMV, which returned to the positioning of its authentic retailer in November 2023, and the sportswear model Underneath Armour.

The seven-storey former Topshop constructing can also be residence to Nike City, which is taking more room in a number of the higher flooring, an outlet for magnificence specialist House NK in addition to workplace house.