“We are excited to launch this new concept store as the first of its kind in Canada, making our affordable, functional and inspiring home furnishing solutions more accessible to those in London, Ontario, and surrounding areas,” says Selwyn Crittendon, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA Canada, which operates 15 mega-stores and 13 “Plan and order” locales across the country. “As a brand rooted in life at home, we’re committed to continuing to meet our customers’ evolving needs and dreams and helping to create a better everyday life for the many.”
The London store will be stocked with 2500 everyday essentials or seasonal favorites, the retailer said in a news release. It will also stock about 400 furniture items available for immediate purchase and takeaway from a self-serve warehouse. And yes, it will offer several Swedish foods, including its famed meatballs.
The Canadian debut of the compact concept comes as the retailer’s U.S. arm has already opened several such stores and has more in its pipeline, including an 80,000-square-foot one that’s slated to open next spring in a western suburb of Cleveland. (While they share the same overarching corporate parent – Ingka Group – IKEA US and IKEA Canada function as distinct national divisions with their own local leadership, inventories, pricing, websites and localized supply chain strategies.) IKEA is also opening compact stores in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.