Ikea is to shut its huge superstore in Tottenham in north London putting 450 jobs at risk.
The Swedish furniture giant said the shift to online shopping and the redevelopment of the area where the store is located forced it “to assess the long-term viability of the site”.
The surprise announcement comes just weeks after the retailer said it was committing £1 billion to new and upgraded stores in the capital, including outlets in Hammersmith and the West End.
It has not yet confirmed the closure date and the store will continue to trade normally for now. Ikea pledged to find alternative jobs for “as many as possible” of the staff,
The outlet is best known for the “sofa riot” sparked by its opening in 2005 when thousands of bargain hunters queued for hours to grab bargains, such a £45 sofa. The melee resulted in six shoppers being taken to hospital.
The closure will leave Ikea with just four full scale “blue box” stores in the London area - at Croydon, Greenwich, Lakeside and Wembley. It also has a smaller format outlet in Hammersmith that opened last month with a first West End outlet opening in Autumn 2023, on Oxford Circus in the former Topshop flagship site.
The company said it took the decision to axe the store following “an extensive assessment of IKEA UK’s presence in London in line with changing shopping behaviours”.
It added: “Last year, online represented almost half of the retailers’ total sales and the demand for different services as well as convenient deliveries accelerated. This, combined with the redevelopment of the area where the store is located, prompted the retailer to assess the long-term viability of the site.
Ikea’s UK boss Peter Jelkeby, said: “Taking care of our co-workers is our highest priority and we will lead with respect and compassion throughout the process. The decision to propose closing the Tottenham store has not been taken lightly but we believe it is the right thing to do for our customers and business as we strengthen our position for the future. We will do everything we can to support the co-workers affected and our hope is that as many as possible will continue their career journey with us.”
Ikea closed a major UK store for the first in summer 2020 when it shut its Coventry city centre branch.
