Londoners waiting for the opening of a full-sized IKEA store in the south end are going to have to keep waiting.
IKEA Canada says it is delaying plans to build a 270,000 sq ft store in the city, as it deals with a "rapidly changing retail environment."
A statement from the company, emailed to BlackburnNewsLondon.com by IKEA Canada Public Relations Manager Kristin Newbigging, says plans for the London store are being shelved for now.
"As we all know, we are in a rapidly changing retail environment. At IKEA in Canada and globally, we are evolving our business model to make sure we’re accessible and convenient for our customers today and in the future. We are creating the IKEA of tomorrow. This includes exploring many new formats and touchpoints to make it easy, affordable and inspiring to shop at IKEA, as well as investing in our ecommerce and services," the statement says. "As a result of this transformation, some of our expansion plans have shifted. With this in mind, IKEA has made the decision to delay the London store project while we evaluate a new solution for the site. We still see potential in the London market, and will move forward with the purchase of the land for this development site as we begin exploring new solutions to better serve our London customers. While this is happening, we will also continue to enhance our digital tools and improve our service offer and pricing to meet many more of our customers in the London area."
IKEA Canada announced plans for a full-sized store near Wellington Rd. and Hwy. 401 last October. Plans called for construction to begin this summer, with an opening targeted for the fall of 2019. With those plans now on hold, it's not known when construction will begin.
In the meantime, IKEA still has a pick-up store on Wonderland Rd., where customers can pick up orders that were placed in-store or online.
