Ikea opened its first small store in the UK today, and hopes Londoners will visit more often, encouraged by its convenient high street location.
Inside the recently rebranded Livat shopping mall in Hammersmith, west London, a steady stream of excited shoppers made their way past the famous yellow and blue logo towards the Swedish brand’s home fixtures.
At a quarter of the size of a typical store and the first of its kind on a British high street, it is far smaller than the warehouse-sized locales that Ikea regulars are used to.
Customers won’t be able to walk out with a bed, sofa or Billy bookcase, but they can see examples.
Nevertheless, among the 1,800 products available in store to take away are staples such as candles, picture frames and plant pots of various colours and sizes. Plus, the meatballs.
A further 4,000 items are on display to provide “life at home inspiration” to Londoners who, after seeing how a desk or kitchen unit looks and feels like in real life, can presumably click with greater comfort when they proceed to order online for delivery. In-store planning is also available.
Amelya, one of the dozens of shop assistants seen on the floor told The National the team was “really excited” that the concept had come to the UK.
“It’s been going really well and we have had great feedback from customers who like how quick and easy the process is, especially with the self-service check-outs and that the store is much closer to where they live,” she said.
Mona, who lives in Hammersmith, said she welcomed the convenience of having an Ikea nearby where she could buy everything she needs.
“The only thing is that there aren’t any arrows on the floor, so I have been going around in circles a little bit,” the shopper said.
Shop regulars will still easily find their way to Ikea’s staples, including its meatballs and Daim chocolate bars. Indeed, the new ‘Swedish Deli’ will open one hour earlier than the store itself to allow those in the local community, and busy commuters, to “grab and go”.
“I’m so happy it’s here,” says Channelle, who lives moments away from the store. “I used to live in Sweden for 17 years, so it’s familiar and I love their products. Plus, they have great prices.”
The Hammersmith launch is part of the famous Swedish retailer’s £1 billion ($1.3 billion) investment into the capital over the next three years and marks a new “long-term transformation” to become more convenient and accessible to customers.
UK and Ireland boss Peter Jelkeby said that if the store proved successful, the format rolled out to other UK cities. It already exists in other countries, including the UAE.
“You should be able to shop with Ikea physically, without a car. This was the perfect location for that. You can take public transport, you can bike. You don’t need a car.
Mr Jelkeby said customers typically visit an Ikea store only a handful of times a year and the smaller format should help to increase the frequency of trips.
“As one of the most innovative and exciting markets in the world for retail and e-commerce, we will step up our omnichannel investments in London with a simple goal: to become more customer-centric, so that people can shop with us for a better, more sustainable life at home, whenever, wherever and however they choose.”
Another highly anticipated Ikea opening will come next year when the brand sets up shop on London’s Oxford Street.
A distribution centre is set to open in Dartford, near the UK capital, at the end of this year.
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Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
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“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
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While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
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