Oxford Street’s new marquee signing, IKEA, set for May-day launch
By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter
Swedish furniture giant IKEA will open its hotly-anticipated Oxford Street store on May 1 – marking a step towards returning the famous road to being Britain’s shopping Mecca.
Shoppers can expect the full traditional IKEA experience of a showroom packed with trinkets and room sets and a market hall filled with home furnishing accessories.
There is also a 130-seater Swedish Deli, where you can get the retailer’s signature meatballs dish for £4.95, or a hot dog for just £0.75.
The brand new store at 214 Oxford Street will span the ground and two lower floors of the seven-storey Grade II listed building and offer 5,800 square metres of shopping space, which is a similar size to the IKEA store in Hammersmith.
The store’s opening follows a meticulous three-year renovation, which saw an overhaul of the site’s interior.
In addition to the IKEA store, the building will accommodate three other retail outlets and offer four floors of office space.
The changes included replacing fossil fuel gas-fired boilers with energy-efficient air source heat pumps, installing secondary glazing for improved insulation, carrying out cleaning and restoration of the building’s historic façade, and a lighting scheme to illuminate the building at night.
The Hus of FRAKTA pop-up concept store will close on March 23 to make way for the new furniture showroom. The new IKEA store will be open daily from 10am until 8pm.
Peter Jelkeby, chief executive at IKEA UK, said: “London is an iconic shopping destination, and we are thrilled to now have a home in its centre. IKEA Oxford Street’s location complements our network of stores in London – and beyond – and allows us to be closer to where our customers live, work and shop, while importantly being easily accessible by foot or public transport.”
Councillor Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City council, said the shop would breathe new life into Oxford Circus. He said: “There is a growing buzz around Oxford Street’s shopping offer, with fewer and fewer vacant units, and it will be fantastic to see IKEA opening its doors, attracting many more visitors to the West End.”
He said the council’s employment service helped local residents apply for the 150 roles available, while the Town Hall hosted IKEA’s selection process.
A raft of new shops have opened on Oxford Street in recent years. HMV and Footasylum, The Fragrance Shop and Reserved have all returned to the popular high street since 2023. Jewellery store Pandora, Doc Martens and new brands like Miniso and Italian kebab house Kebhouze have also opened stores recently.
The Mayor of London has also launched a consultation to pedestrianise the western end of Oxford Street. The famous high street fell into disrepair during the pandemic when American candy stores and unregulated pedicabs flooded the area. But many of those candy stores have since shut and pedicabs are now set to be regulated by Transport for London.
Pictured top: The IKEA Oxford Street store (Picture: Alex Rumford/IKEA)