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

The UK boss of Ikea has backed calls to pedestrianise Oxford Road 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 point out off Ikea’s vary of furnishings on the new retailer, Peter Jekelby, the chief govt of Ikea’s UK enterprise, stated he thought a plan to pedestrianise Oxford Road, backed by London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, can 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 Road” and that attracting new firms would assist “create new jobs and improve footfall”.

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

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

“After that we are going to take inventory,” he stated. “There are nonetheless locations and house that we may very well be current in.” He stated Ikea was “about affordability” and so might thrive even in a time of “thinner wallets”.

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

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

The brilliant and vibrant – and largely underground – Oxford Road outlet features a 130-seat Swedish deli, a dwell occasions house and one-to-one design providers for kitchens, bedrooms and dwelling rooms. The house can also be brightened by large animated shows of woodland scenes, buzzing bees and all kinds of Londoners who discuss 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 ingesting glasses, and about 3,500 of these objects might be obtainable to remove on the spot, whereas the remainder could be delivered to properties.

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

Previously two years, the variety of vacancies and sweet retailers 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 Beneath Armour.

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