IKEA sets date for Bromley Planning Studio opening
IKEA UK has announced the opening date for its new Planning Studio format store in Bromley.
Due to launch on 28 March, IKEA Bromley will be the retailer’s second Planning Studio in the Greater London area, following the opening of its first on Tottenham Court Road last October.
The Bromley store will occupy the former Mothercare and Early Learning Centre site on Bromley High Street and will offer a personalised service for planning bedrooms and kitchens through one-to-one in-store appointments with specialist staff.
The shop will also feature a community room where the local community can hire the space to host events, workshops, meetings and training for up to 20 people.
In addition, there will be designated relaxation areas for customers and a demo kitchen for food activities and events.
Jane Bisset, IKEA London city centre market leader, said: “The opening of our new Planning Studio in Bromley will mark the next exciting step in our city centre approach as we bring IKEA to the heart of urban areas in London. We’re excited to introduce a community room to this particular Planning Studio, which we encourage the people of Bromley to take full advantage of.”
As with every store opening, IKEA carried out home visits with people living in Bromley to observe how they carry out daily tasks so this could be reflected in the store.
Bisset continued: “Through the home visits in Bromley, we were able to gather local insights to ensure the new Planning Studio reflected the needs of the community. We identified that kitchens are no longer just for cooking, but a multi-use space for socialising, work and more. We can also see from the local area that open-plan living is on the rise so we knew we had to create an inspiring offering, that would help people make the most of every space.”
IKEA has also recently opened a full-sized IKEA store in London’s Greenwich. Other full-sized stores around the London area include Wembley, Tottenham, Croydon and Lakeside.