IKEA is opening 50 new smaller stores around the world

The Swedish retailer is experimenting with new retail formats, trying to fit in with the market’s latest conditions.

In search of a new retailing approach that would keep customers in line with the pandemic, IKEA is developing new store formats. As part of this experiment, the retailer is opening 50 small format stores worldwide in the next few years. These will be stores in the busy central areas of big cities.

Expansion into smaller stores is part of Ingka’s global strategy, which includes a comprehensive assessment of its presence in major cities worldwide. In the first phase, the retailer will open more than 50 stores in 40 large cities in Europe, Russia, North America, Asia, and Oceania. 

With an assortment of the most basic and popular products, small IKEA stores are designed for customers who live or work nearby. In addition to buying furniture and home accessories, in such retail outlets, you can rent interior items or order design services and develop various digital technologies. 

The opening of the small-format stores is part of the company’s plan to improve accessibility for consumers. In the future, the retailer plans to develop a mixture of different concepts without focusing, as it was before, only on large retail spaces in the suburbs.