Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer, has opened its first small-format store in eastern Beijing, bringing the concept to millions more people in the Chinese capital.
The 1,500 m² store, offering more than 3,000 home furnishing products, welcomed thousands of visitors on its inauguration day at the recently opened Wangfujing WellTown shopping centre in Beijing’s Tongzhou District.
The new store – the company’s fifth in the Chinese capital – is tailored to the retailer’s findings about how people live in Beijing and what type of solutions could elevate their life at home further. Visitors can also access one-on-one planning support from home furnishing experts, alongside a curated food offering.
“Beijing has always been one of our key markets in China,” says Pontus Erntell, CEO of IKEA China. “Just a few weeks after opening a small store in Shenzhen, we are now bringing IKEA closer to a new community in the capital and, with further expansion both physically and digitally, to many more people across China.”
The Beijing opening is part of a broader expansion move of the biggest IKEA retailer. Since the start of the year, the company has opened 21 new locations worldwide, bringing the brand to new neighbourhoods and markets. Spanning formats from a few hundred square metres to more than 4,000, these locations have launched across Europe, North America and Asia, with dozens more to follow in the coming months.
“One solution doesn’t fit all – and that is what makes our expansion more relevant today,” says Javier Quiñones, Global Commercial Manager at Ingka Group (IKEA). “We are getting closer to more people than ever, while continuously learning how to optimise our offer and presence.”
Some of the recent openings include the first IKEA store in Huntsville, Alabama, as well as new small-format stores in Phoenix, Arizona, and an upcoming city store in Los Angeles, opening on May 2. In addition, a partnership with 10 Best Buy stores in Florida and Texas is underway, marking the first time IKEA products and services are accessible through another US retailer. Pune in India, Cagliari in Italy, Girona in Spain, and other European cities have also recently welcomed new IKEA stores.
Expansion is also reaching more remote locations. On Sweden’s largest island, Gotland, customers can now plan any part of their home and order solutions at a plan and order point in Visby. Similarly, the Croatian coastal city of Pula – known for its well-preserved Roman amphitheatre – now hosts a plan and order point that also offers a selection of accessories available for immediate purchase.
Investing in expanding the IKEA footprint is part of Ingka Group’s EUR 5 billion, three-year investment aimed at opening new locations and improving existing ones across most of its 32 markets.
