It has been announced that Westfield Stratford City has been selected as the launching pad for Ikea’s new, smaller format store in London.

The new store is expected to open in summer 2016 and its new “Order and Collection Point” will be a first for the home furnishing retailer.

The store will act mostly as a planning studio and will not stock the whole range of products, but is designed for convenience, being a hub of inspiration and ideas with staff offering specialist knowledge and advice.

Jack Jackson, order and collection development manager, said: “We are really excited to be bringing this new IKEA format to Westfield Stratford City in London. It is our first Order and Collection Point in London as well as in a major shopping centre location in the UK and this marks an important milestone in making our products and services available to more customers.
“We recognize that customers today want to shop with us in different ways and our Order and Collections Points are developed to offer a new way for people to interact with us."

To make it easier for shoppers to collect their goods, the store will be linked to the car park. Although it won’t stock the full product range, shoppers can still order from the full range for home delivery or collection at the collection point.

The company have been testing out similar Order and Collection Points around the UK and the first one opened in Norwich in November 2015, a second will open on 12th May in Aberdeen and a third is planned for Birmingham City Centre later in the summer.