IKEA’s Oxford Circus store is promising a shopping experience unlike any other. Having visited it, I can understand why. It is the Swedish giant’s first UK city centre store and follows a huge refurbishment of the former Top Shop/Top Man flagship store.
If IKEA was looking for an iconic store for an iconic event, then it has chosen well. Many women and men will remember the three-story location as the one where Kate Moss launched her fashion collection and where no one was too old or too young, too rich or too poor, to find clothes that made them feel amazing. So walking once again through this location, which is set to open to the general public in just days, will likely make the shopping experience for many truly one of a kind. The cost of the former Topshop flagship building on Oxford Street was estimated at around £378million, when IKEA’s parent company, Ingka Group, purchased the property in early 2022. The launch has been over two years in the making and is expected to attract crowds of eager shoppers when it opens on Thursday, May 1.
Shoppers expecting to find a smaller compact version of IKEA’s larger ‘Blue Box’ stores will find Oxford Circus IKEA surprisingly roomy. As I was walking through it, it felt no smaller than any other IKEA shopping experience, despite being ‘just’ 5,000 sq ft – compared to the average 30,000 sq ft boasted by a Blue Box IKEA.
Just to highlight how big this central location is, I think visitors will need to stock up on the big blue bags, as although the Oxford Street store is in the heart of London’s West End, at least 3,000 of IKEA’s 12,000-plus items will be available to take home on the day it launches. The store is expected to stock at least 6,000 items in total.
With the tube station, Oxford Circus just opposite the store, you won’t have to walk too far if a bedside table is on your shopping list, although I did struggle to lift some of the smaller home-assembly goods on offer.
For heavy items, there is always IKEA’s 24-hour delivery service.
If you do want to order a new kitchen from the new location, then the design team is on hand to make sure it is delivered wherever you are in the UK. However, shoppers based in southern England should bear in mind that Brighton will be getting its own city centre IKEA, while Chester, Harlow and Norwich will be getting smaller format stores soon too.
But you don’t need to splash the cash too much. You can always head to the cafe, which seats over 150 and will have plenty to keep fans of IKEA’s Swedish meatballs happy. And if you have a Family IKEA loyalty card, you can get a free coffee Monday to Friday here too.
Like its former occupant Top Shop, which had a huge pre-loved vintage section in the basement, IKEA is selling second-hand versions of its iconic furniture. Or if, you prefer to look rather than buy, there is even a small museum showcasing IKEA’s history on the ground floor.
If it’s all a bit too frantic you can head to the the bedroom and lounge furniture displays on the first basement floor where the gentle sound of birdsong is played to help soothe frazzled shoppers.
Or there’s the Swedish forest, which acts as a gateway to the children’s section. Cuddly toys guard the children’s bedroom displays with plenty of Djungelskogs (the giant bear) cuddling up to Skogsduvas (hedgehogs).
I finished my visit with a salmon blini and glass of apple juice. I didn’t opt for the wine, but with the Bank Holiday ahead I imagine a few shoppers will be celebrating their latest Billy bookcase purchase with a glass, or two.