Ikea pickup outlet to open soon but a full store may be on the horizon

[MolsonExport]

Ikea pickup outlet to open soon but a full store may be on the horizon

Ikea fans in the London area will get their early Christmas present in about a month as a “pickup” outlet opens in south London.

But the big prize, a full Ikea store, may finally be on the horizon as the giant Swedish furnishing chain says it will expand to 24 stores in Canada from 12 in the next decade.

The Ikea bricks-and-mortar expansion comes at a time when other retail chains are contracting, most recently with the closing of Future Shop stores.

Ikea Canada president Stefan Sjöstrand told the Toronto Board of Trade last week that the company’s online sales and traditional stores complement each other.

“We know that when customers come to our stores they want to get inspired.”

Sjöstrand said Ikea also will move to new store formats but wouldn’t say if they would be smaller than the current, that average 323,000 square feet.

Ikea Canada spokesperson Tanya Bevington said an announcement about the locations of the new stores may be made soon.

“We will look at existing cities, new cities, existing store formats, new store formats. Stay tuned, we will have more information in the new year.”

Having a pickup outlet in the city will not exclude London from consideration for a new store, Bevington said.

Read more here: http://www.lfpress.com/2015/11/09/ik...on-in-december

[MolsonExport]

Well, it's open.

http://www.lfpress.com/2015/12/02/pi...per-enthusiasm

[MrSlippery519]

Interested to hear how it does, also (not that I have checked) but do that have a list of the 99 most popular items they actually have in the store?

The issue might be the $20 shipping fee, while on a massive item no problem but for many people randomly walking around picking things up in the store this would not be a logical option.

[BIGGUY2891]

I went looking for a list of the 99 items. They won't provide it. From Ikea's FAQs:

"We will carry 99 of our most popular products as well as seasonal items. They will be a combination of furniture and home fashion accessories. Since some of the items will change on a regular basis, we are unable to provide stock check information or a list of the items available."

Originally Posted by MrSlippery519

Interested to hear how it does, also (not that I have checked) but do that have a list of the 99 most popular items they actually have in the store?

The issue might be the $20 shipping fee, while on a massive item no problem but for many people randomly walking around picking things up in the store this would not be a logical option.

[MolsonExport]

less items than some of the vending machines here at UWO.

[haljackey]

If I buy something in the store, do I still have to pay the $20 fee?

If yes, I don't think I'll ever be interested in visiting.

[MolsonExport]

$20 fee on a $19.99 the Skrdgjklgaaard bookcase

[ericlewis91]

No. You don't pay $20 when you buy one of the 99 items in store

I saw items like lamps, coffee tables, brushes, pans, candles, bath Matt, duvet cover, some plates, cups etc (things that are popular) plus those $1 bags!!!

Items are labeled with colour tags
1st label is items you grab on the floor
2nd label is items you can pickup from the London store
3rd label is items you can order from the website for $20/per order

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by ericlewis91

Items are labeled with colour tags
1st label is items you grab on the floor
2nd label is items you can pickup from the London store
3rd label is items you can order from the website for $20/per order

That sounds reasonable

[GreatTallNorth2]

Ikea announced yesterday that they are building a full size store in Halifax. That store will be the first of 12 additional full size stores in Canada. I can't help but think that London will get a full size store as well as London and Quebec City are the two biggest markets in Canada without a store. I think the pick up location was a quick way to get them into the market until they find the right land to build a full size store.

[jaradthescot]

I hope so. Never went to the pickup store, but I'll definitely go to a full-store if they build it.

[Rosso Corsa]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

Ikea announced yesterday that they are building a full size store in Halifax. That store will be the first of 12 additional full size stores in Canada. I can't help but think that London will get a full size store as well as London and Quebec City are the two biggest markets in Canada without a store. I think the pick up location was a quick way to get them into the market until they find the right land to build a full size store.

My guess is down the road on Wonderland where the new development is happening

[ericlewis91]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

Ikea announced yesterday that they are building a full size store in Halifax. That store will be the first of 12 additional full size stores in Canada. I can't help but think that London will get a full size store as well as London and Quebec City are the two biggest markets in Canada without a store. I think the pick up location was a quick way to get them into the market until they find the right land to build a full size store.

Have you been to the pickup? it has a very "temporary" vibe to it... the signage and front entry scream short term

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by ericlewis91

Have you been to the pickup? it has a very "temporary" vibe to it... the signage and front entry scream short term

Add to that they are already over capacity. A friend of mine works there and said they are very tight on space, the QC store is almost twice the size for reference.

On a good note he said they have been extremely busy, and he echo'd the same comments about them building a full size store in London and QC sooner than later.

Ikea will want to be visible from the 401 or 402 i would imagine, there are plenty of locations they could build.

[MolsonExport]

went in. looked around. left.

5 minutes, in and out. meh.

A full sized store would be a nice addition. A place to go on a cold, grey day. I don't reckon I would spend a lot however; IKEA furniture isn't all that good quality.

[Innsertnamehere]

Ikea furniture is good for its price point. Its cheap, and caters to students and people on lower incomes. Its not the store for things other than the basics if you have a half decent income and can afford to purchase better furniture.

I bought my coffee table for $30! even if it only lasts me a year it'll pay for itself. And its lasted me more than a year..

[Stevo26]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Ikea furniture is good for its price point. Its cheap, and caters to students and people on lower incomes. Its not the store for things other than the basics if you have a half decent income and can afford to purchase better furniture.

I bought my coffee table for $30! even if it only lasts me a year it'll pay for itself. And its lasted me more than a year..

I remember a time when Ikea furniture was fairly expensive. Or seemed to be. In 1991, I was living in Hamilton. One day I decided to check out the Ikea store in Burlington.

I saw a couch I liked. It was by no means a top-end item, but the price was something like $350.00, and I was barely pulling in $450 net per week.

In today's dollars, that couch was going for almost $550.00.

Ikea's prices do seem to have come down quite a bit since then.

[Snark]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

went in. looked around.... IKEA furniture isn't all that good quality.

My sentiments as well. I honestly don't understand what all the hubbub is about. I understand that there is a market need for products of this price range, but I don't see the same buzz here when another Brick or Furniture Wonderland open up.

Could it be that IKEA have managed to market themselves as "cool", and the market demographic that they cater to have bought into it hook, line, and sinker? Could this be used as another example of conditioning the younger (30 - 40 and under) half of the demographic to yet again develop even further lowered expectations for their future, and at the same time breed an even larger culture of disposability to further increase the levels of needless, mindless consumerism? After all if one boils this all down to the nub, what we have here are folks whom I expect are in that demographic getting jazzed that a vendor may coming to town that sells foreign-made lower-quality products that bring virtually no value to the local economy. Actually, strike that last statement, it will keep the company who has the contract of the day to perform garbage pickup solvent, so there will be some local economic benefit.

But hey, forget about all that: Hurrah! We've made it to the big leagues with an IKEA pickup depot in town and maybe there will even be a real store in the future!

[GreatTallNorth2]

Well, whether or not you, me or anyone on the forum likes IKEA doesn't matter. The fact is that it is a big deal when you get an IKEA store. Just like it is a big deal when a city gets an Apple store. It doesn't matter whether or not you like Apple, but the fact is that stores like this are regional draws. When I worked at Apple Masonville, we had customers come every day from all over the place. IKEA Burlington gets people from all over southwestern Ontario to shop there. The same would hold true if we had a store. It's not just a furniture store like the Brick. These stores are half the size of White Oaks mall. And I have heard the idea that IKEA or whoever is popular because of their marketing - marketing will only take you so far. Yes, they have built a good brand, but I think they offer good value for money, not high end and not super low end. They are doing more than marketing to build a company that large.

[Rosso Corsa]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

Well, whether or not you, me or anyone on the forum likes IKEA doesn't matter. The fact is that it is a big deal when you get an IKEA store. Just like it is a big deal when a city gets an Apple store. It doesn't matter whether or not you like Apple, but the fact is that stores like this are regional draws. When I worked at Apple Masonville, we had customers come every day from all over the place. IKEA Burlington gets people from all over southwestern Ontario to shop there. The same would hold true if we had a store. It's not just a furniture store like the Brick. These stores are half the size of White Oaks mall. And I have heard the idea that IKEA or whoever is popular because of their marketing - marketing will only take you so far. Yes, they have built a good brand, but I think they offer good value for money, not high end and not super low end. They are doing more than marketing to build a company that large.

Good point. I suspect chain restaurants will also pop up nearby catering to out of town travelers.

Their stuff is not all cheap. The mid range/upper end stuff is trendy and a good price point. When shopping around I've found the equivalents (Leon's, Brick, Tepperman's) to be cheaply manufactured in comparison to what I've gotten from IKEA. All depends what you're after.