Ikea plans to close a store in Tottenham, north London, putting 450 jobs at risk, as part its push to open more shops in city centres.
The decision comes only a month after the Swedish giant opened its first shopping centre in Hammersmith, west London.
The flat-pack furniture retailer has been focusing on smaller, inner-city locations over the years rather than just huge edge-of-town sites as shopping habits evolve.
Peter Jelkeby, Ikea’s UK country manager, said: “The decision to propose closing the Tottenham store has not been taken lightly, but we believe it is the right thing to do as we strengthen our position for the future.”
The Tottenham store will continue to trade as normal until further notice.
Last year, online accounted for almost half of the retailer’s total sales. Meanwhile, the demand for services as well as home deliveries has accelerated.
Ikea said it aimed to retain as many employees as possible by creating 600 jobs across London as part of plans to invest £1bn in the capital over the next three years.
The Tottenham closure comes after it shut its city centre store in Coventry in 2020, affecting about 350 jobs. Ikea blamed high operating costs for the decision.
Two years earlier it pulled the plug on an “order and collection” point in Birmingham where almost 40 people were employed.
Ikea’s design and planning store on Tottenham Court Road, central London, also closed in July 2021, but will be replaced by a new store on Oxford Street next year.
Its five other stores in the capital – in Croydon, Greenwich, Hammersmith, Lakeside and Wembley – will not be affected by the change in strategy.
Ikea will open a new fulfilment centre in Dartford, Kent, in December, to serve 24-hour deliveries in the capital.
