IKEA to close Birmingham Order & Collection Point

IKEA has confirmed that it is to close its small-format Order & Collection Point store in Birmingham City Centre, after two years.

The store opened in August 2016 in Dale End, Birmingham, as part of a trial to bring the IKEA home furnishing range and expertise closer to more customers.

It was the third of its kind to open in the UK and had been designed to support the customer shopping experience by providing a new way to shop with IKEA and offering convenient access to the IKEA product range and inspiration, close to public transport links.

Five OCP stores were built in Norwich, Aberdeen, Birmingham, London and Dublin.

IKEA has recently confirmed it is to open a new store on Tottenham Court Road this autumn, but has yet to confirm details about the format.

Julie Carr, Ikea's OCP customer experience manager, said:

"Following a very careful evaluation, we have taken the decision to close the IKEA Birmingham store.

"In 2015, we launched the OCP test programme to find out more about how customers want to shop with Ikea in new retail formats. 

"Now the test programme has come to an end, we have taken the learnings to inform the way we evolve and adapt as a business to meet our customers’ ever changing needs.

"The closure of the Birmingham unit has not been an easy decision but is based on a number of factors including the location of the shop, which we recognise has not been accessible enough to customers shopping in Birmingham city centre.

"Along with the other OCPs, Birmingham has been crucial in developing our recently unveiled city centre approach and has provided valuable insights on how customers want to shop with us.

"Our revised strategy marks the beginning of a new period of transformation for Ikea as a business as we respond to many exciting opportunities in a fast-changing retail environment."

Source : Insight DIY and IKEA

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