Curbed reports that Swedish home good retailer Ikea, known for enormous retail stores located in suburban locations, plans to open its new Planning Studio urban format store in Manhattan on April 15.
The story notes that the store “will not be a full buy-and-carry operation. Instead, it will allow customers to peruse and order products that will then be delivered to their homes at an additional cost.
“The retail concept allows the brand to gain another foothold in dense urban markets where securing square footage for warehouse space is less feasible, while also meeting consumers where they need to be met.”
It is, the story says, “a far cry from the vast unending maze of rooms Ikea shoppers have come to expect: A small selection of curated goods will be on site alongside finishes that will help shoppers conceptualize their projects.”
The story notes that the store “will not be a full buy-and-carry operation. Instead, it will allow customers to peruse and order products that will then be delivered to their homes at an additional cost.
“The retail concept allows the brand to gain another foothold in dense urban markets where securing square footage for warehouse space is less feasible, while also meeting consumers where they need to be met.”
It is, the story says, “a far cry from the vast unending maze of rooms Ikea shoppers have come to expect: A small selection of curated goods will be on site alongside finishes that will help shoppers conceptualize their projects.”
- KC's View:
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Love this idea … the concept strikes me as an example of the kind of thinking in which retailers have to engage going forward.
