IKEA UK will close Tottenham store

IKEA UK will close Tottenham store, 450 jobs affected. 

IKEA announced on Wednesday that it would close its Tottenham shop in north London later this year, affecting 450 employees.

IKEA stated that it was dedicated to retaining as many affected employees as possible, adding that it would create over 600 additional positions across the capital before the shop closes.

A time of consultation with those who will be affected has begun.

“The proposal to retire the Tottenham store results from an exhaustive examination of IKEA UK’s presence in London in light of changing buying trends,” IKEA stated, noting that nearly half of its sales were made online last year.

“This, together with the neighborhood’s transformation where the store is located, caused (IKEA) to evaluate the site’s long-term viability.”

The shutdown was described as “devastating news” by the trade union Usdaw.

IKEA has locations in Croydon, Greenwich, Hammersmith, Lakeside, and Wembley, among others.

It announced it would invest $1.31 billion in London over the next three years. It includes the inauguration of a new fulfillment center in Dartford in December and a new shop on Oxford Street in autumn 2023.