IKEA might be back in town

After many years on the outskirts of towns IKEA might be venturing into our inner cities with smaller stores. 

  • A first “pop-up” Ikea store specializing in kitchens opened in central Stockholm in the summer of 2017
  • We recently reported that Ikea cooperates with Apple to develop an augmented reality experience for online shoppers. The furniture giant which has grown on a business model with large department stores on the outskirts of towns might also be venturing into our inner cities with smaller stores.

  • A first “pop-up” Ikea store specializing in kitchens opened in central Stockholm in the summer of 2017 and was clearly so successful that it will remain open at least until 2019. Company officials have confirmed the plan is to continue experiments with stores in metropolitan areas like Tokyo, London and New York. Ikea has also experimented with VR shopping booths in pop-ups that occupy small store spaces within large shopping malls, for instance in Kuwait.

  • According to a recent report in Financial Times the company will also develop digital solutions including home delivery in all countries. Ikea may also be evaluating the option of allowing customers to rent furniture instead of buying.