Ikea Canada officially pulls plug

Ikea Canada officially abandons plans for a retail outlet in London 

IKEA CANADA HAS officially shelved its plans to open a retail outlet in London.

In a statement sent to Global News on June 2, Ikea Canada spokesperson Kristin Newbigging said, “We have now made the difficult decision to no longer pursue the acquisition of land in London. 

“We will not move forward with plans to build a store in the region,” she added.

The retail home furnishings giant had plans to open a retail store in the city’s south end by the close of 2019, but put those plans on hold in mid-2018 due to a changing retail environment and increased focus on online sales.

Ikea Canada also closed the doors of pickup and order point mini-stores in London, Kitchener, St. Catharines, Whitby and Windsor in 2019.

“We appreciate the support we’ve received from the local community over the years and have had a very positive experience working with the city and our community partners over the past several years,” Newbigging explained.

According to Global News, Newbigging said the Covid-19 pandemic really didn’t factor into the company’s decision.

“Our decision to no longer pursue the acquisition of land is due the rapidly changing retail landscape and shifting expansion priorities for Ikea moving forward,” she said. “These are the primary reasons.”