IKEA to close Norway's Order & Collection Points

IKEA has confirmed it is to close its three city centre service and pick-up points in Norway.

The three sites are located in Aalesund, Oslo and Tromsoe and were part of a trial to determine consumer interest in alternatives to IKEA's cavernous out-of-town stores.

Clare Rodgers, Country Retail Manager at IKEA Norway, said: ”We will close all the service centers in Norway. It was a hard decision to make, as we’ve never closed anything before,”

Fifty staff are understood to have been offered positions at other IKEA stores in the country.

IKEA confirmed it is looking to cut its costs by 10% in Norway, in a bid to boost profitability.

The retailer recently confirmed it will close one of its small-format Order & Collection Point stores in the UK, in Birmingham city centre, after two years.

Julie Carr, IKEA's OCP customer experience manager, said of the UK closure:

"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."

Source : Insight DIY

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