First location to open in London, Ontario in Fall 2026

BURLINGTON, ON, April 9, 2026 /CNW/ - IKEA Canada announces plans to introduce a new type of small format store designed to make affordable, functional, and inspiring home furnishings more convenient with the first location opening in London, Ontario. This smaller store will focus on everyday essentials and quick visits, bringing IKEA closer to where people live, work, and shop on a daily basis.

"At IKEA, we're on an exciting journey to transform our business to be more accessible, affordable, and sustainable to our customers no matter how they choose to shop with us," says Selwyn Crittendon, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Canada. "As we approach our 50^th anniversary in Canada this year, we are moving with speed to ensure that we continue to meet our customers' evolving needs and dreams at home, guided by our founding vision to create a better everyday life for the many."

The London store will be located in White Oaks Mall (1105 Wellington Road), a popular retail hub, featuring many notable brands, that has been serving local residents as a regular shopping destination for more than 50 years.

"By offering the iconic IKEA store experience on a smaller scale, we are leaning into the physical store that we are best known for while delivering an innovative approach that reflects a rapidly changing retail landscape and customer preferences," adds Crittendon. "Customers have responded positively to pilot stores in other countries, and we will continue to listen to co-worker and customer feedback to renew and improve."

Visitors to the new London location can expect to find:

• Inspiring room settings and smart solutions for a better, more sustainable life at home;
• A compact layout of about 43,000 square feet (one-fifth the size of IKEA Burlington) with a portion of the full IKEA range (more than 2,000 home essentials and seasonal favourites) available in-store for cash-and-carry;
• The ability to order the full IKEA product offering with flexible delivery and pickup options;
• Knowledgeable co-workers offering simple planning services; and
• A selection of IKEA food for a taste of Swedishness.

"This new type of small store takes a different approach to establishing and operating to complement our other physical and digital customer meeting points, strengthen the omnichannel experience, and give customers more ways to shop with IKEA," says Crittendon. "By being faster and more cost-effective to operationalize, these stores enable us to be present in more communities. The London area has always been an important market for IKEA Canada, and we're thrilled to build on our existing presence with this exciting new store concept that will best serve the many Londoners."

In March 2024, IKEA opened the London Plan and order point, a service-based location where customers can book one-on-one appointments with IKEA experts to plan, design, and purchase home furnishing solutions for any room in the home such as kitchen renovations or bedroom storage systems.

On March 11, Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer, announced the global organization's ambitions to open 20 new locations in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Canada to complement the traditional IKEA stores as a part of people's daily life. At this time, London, Ontario is the only confirmed location opening in Canada.

ABOUT IKEA CANADA 
Founded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA is a leading home furnishing retailer, offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. IKEA Canada is part of Ingka Group which operates 574 IKEA stores in 31 countries, including 15 stores and 12 Plan and order points in Canada. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 33.3 million visitors to its stores and 199.9 million visitors to IKEA.ca. IKEA Canada operates business through the IKEA vision - to create a better everyday life for the many people and does so through its local community efforts and sustainability initiatives. For more information on IKEA Canada, please visit IKEA.ca. 

SOURCE IKEA Canada Limited Partnership