IKEA set to open supermarket sized stores in the Netherlands next year
IKEA wants to open a number of smaller stores in the Netherlands next year, a spokesperson for the furniture chain has confirmed after a report in the AD. The new stores, which will have the format of a supermarket, will sell items like cutlery and lighting.
The new smaller stores will be between 2,000 and 2,500 square meters. In comparison, the large Ikea stores in the Netherlands are between 35,000 and 40,000 square meters in size. The new stores will have no space for a showroom or a self-service warehouse, the spokesperson explained.
These new stores will open midway through next year. The spokesperson could not say exactly how many stores will open, but it will be around five locations.
It is also unclear where the new stores will be. IKEA currently has 13 large stores in the Netherlands. The store chain has already zeroed in on a few locations. “We have a good distribution of stores right now, but there are some areas where it takes longer to get to a store.”
In addition, the customers going to the current IKEA stores are dependent on traveling by car. This will not be the case with the smaller stores,” the spokesperson said.
The furniture chain is planning to sell the famous Swedish meatballs and hot dogs in their smaller stores.
There are already comparable IKEA stores in France and the United Kingdom. IKEA already has smaller stores in the Netherlands, but these are meant as showrooms where clients can put a new kitchen together, for example.
Reporting by ANP