Ikea plans sustainable concept store for Greenwich site

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 25, 2017

Swedish interiors giant Ikea has unveiled plans for a new format UK store for its planned location at the Millennium Way Retail Park in Greenwich, London.

The store has not yet been given the go-ahead with the company only due to submit plans to the local council next month. There has been a degree of local resident opposition to the plans.

The company said the proposed store, on the site of a previous Sainsbury’s supermarket, is intended to focus on sustainability and community.

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The more sustainable concept will be seen first when the firm opens a store in Sheffield, northern England, this summer.

The Greenwich store would be a similar size to its other London locations (around 350,000 sq ft) and will feature a biodiverse roof garden, solar panels and rainwater collection. It will also have charging points for 22 electric cars and will employ around 500 staff.

The local MP praised the firm for having moved away from an original design that was a “standard out-of-own blue shed,” adding “there are some grounds for optimism.”

Some local residents have been concerned that a new Ikea would put an extra burden on traffic in the area with nearby main roads among the most congested in London. But Greenwich Council has been seen as business-friendly and analysts believe the plans will be given the go-ahead.

The immediate catchment area is full of the kind of customers Ikea is targeting. Greenwich and nearby areas are currently undergoing a building boom with numerous residential developments increasing the local population by tens of thousands.