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

The UK boss of Ikea has subsidized calls to pedestrianise Oxford Street as the arena’s greatest furnishings store in the end opens its not on time retailer in London’s top buying groceries vacation spot.

The Swedish corporate’s three-floor store within the development 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 some of the mini-room units designed to sing their own praises Ikea’s vary of furniture on the new retailer, Peter Jekelby, the manager government of Ikea’s UK industry, mentioned he idea a plan to pedestrianise Oxford Street, subsidized by means of London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, can be “good for the street” and “make it easier to move around”.

Khan mentioned the Ikea retailer used to be “a huge vote of confidence in London, in our economy and in our plans to rejuvenate Oxford Street” and that attracting new corporations would assist “create new jobs and increase footfall”.

He mentioned the “bold proposals” to pedestrianise Oxford Street have been matter to session that closes on 2 May “so I encourage everyone to have their say”.

Jekelby added that Ikea, which can make use of greater than 100 folks in its new London retailer, used to be dedicated to opening extra shops in the United Kingdom, with plans for a significant new web site in Brighton this summer time and smaller shops in Norwich, Chester and Harlow in Essex.

“After that we will take stock,” he mentioned. “There are still places and space that we could be present in.” He mentioned Ikea used to be “about affordability” and so may just thrive even in a time of “thinner wallets”.

He referred to as on the United Kingdom govt to foster balance in the United Kingdom marketplace and to not weigh down shops with further prices – after an build up in employer nationwide insurance coverage fees.

Jekelby mentioned that industry charges wanted a reconsider in order that they have been “more fit for purpose” and didn’t “penalise certain ways of shopping” – as recently those that function retail outlets face upper prices from the property-based tax than opponents who function only on-line.

The brilliant and vibrant – and in large part underground – Oxford Street outlet features a 130-seat Swedish deli, a reside occasions house and one-to-one design services and products for kitchens, bedrooms and dwelling rooms. The house could also be brightened by means of massive animated presentations of wooded area scenes, humming bees and all kinds of Londoners who speak about their house design possible choices – a few of which might be recreated within the retailer.

It will show about 6,000 Ikea merchandise, starting from “Billy” bookcases to consuming glasses, and about 3,500 of the ones pieces shall be to be had to remove at the spot, whilst the remainder can also be dropped at properties.

The retailer’s opening is appeared by means of some as key to hopes for a revival of Oxford Street, which has step by step been rejuvenated after a hunch in customer numbers all the way through the Covid pandemic, and then quite a lot of websites sat vacant whilst a plethora of reasonable American sweet stores moved in.

In the previous two years, the collection of vacancies and sweet stores have dropped and the road has been boosted by means of new openings, together with HMV, which returned to the web site of its authentic retailer in November 2023, and the sports wear logo Under Armour.

The seven-storey former Topshop development could also be house to Nike Town, which is taking more room in probably the most higher flooring, an outlet for good looks specialist Space NK in addition to administrative center house.