IKEA has opened the first of its three new small stores in Harlow, 100 days after acquiring the lease.The two other compact shops, which will be located in Norwich and Chester, will open by the end of the year.

Considerably smaller than the other big-box IKEA stores, the new small store in Harlow offers access to IKEA's range of 10,000 products, including glasses, storage boxes and photo frames, as well as small furniture items, with the option of home delivery or free in-store pickup the next day.

IKEA said these smaller shops are designed to offer customers a quick and easy shopping experience, with a takeaway food offering that includes the chain's iconic Swedish meatballs and hot dogs.

This move is part of an ongoing expansion strategy that sees the furniture chain set to open two more Plan and Order Points in Dundee and York this year, small stores in Norwich and Chester, and a new city centre store in Brighton, following the opening of the IKEA Plan and Order Point Hull and a store in central London's iconic Oxford Street earlier this year.

Peter Jelkeby, chief executive at IKEA UK & Ireland, explained the new store format represents a new chance to offer a more personalised and accessible retail experience.

“These new small-format stores fit seamlessly into our wider omnichannel strategy, ensuring our physical and digital channels work together to meet the diverse needs of our customers,” he added.

In March, the retailer announced the opening of its Oxford Street store following a three-year renovation of the Grade II listed building at 214 Oxford Street in central London that previously housed Topshop.

The new flagship store spans three floors with a retail space of 5,800 square metres, offering the traditional IKEA experience including roomsets, a market hall with home furnishing accessories, and planning appointments with IKEA home furnishing experts.

In the UK, IKEA currently has 20 full sized stores, one city store, one Order and Collection Point, and three Plan and Order Points.

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