Ikea launches first omnichannel centric city store in Canada
Ingka Group, the largest Ikea retailer, will today open the first Ikea city store in Canada, as part of its commitment to get closer to its customers.
Ikea Toronto Downtown is the retailer’s 15th store in the country.
Ingka Group’s recent investments in Canada include a new distribution centre in Beauharnois, new planning studios (known as Ikea Plan and order points in Canada) and new pick-up points, as well as the redevelopment of its Ottawa location to ship customer orders directly from the store.
“Canada is a great example of our transformation as an omnichannel retailer. Our stores in Winnipeg and Halifax already ship online orders within those markets,” says Tolga Öncü, Retail Operations Manager, Ingka Group.
“Our Ottawa store is being rebuilt as we speak and will be testing new fulfilment systems moving forward.”
“In smaller city stores like Ikea Toronto Downtown, customers can instead pick up their online orders and larger items – or choose to order with home delivery or to another pick-up point closer to their home.”
Toronto Downtown is part of Ingka Group’s recently announced €3 billion investment in new and existing stores by the end of next year.
“Globally, around a third of our sales are online – and our physical stores play an important role in this omnichannel reality. As customer behaviours evolve, so do we as a retailer. We are redeveloping many of our larger stores to also ship customer orders in a quicker, more affordable and more sustainable way,” says Öncü.
The new city store will be cashless and have more than 2,000 products available for immediate takeaway, while larger furniture can be ordered with delivery options.
