Ikea China announces expansion in eastern Beijing as retail giant opens doors to first small store

Ingka Group, the largest Ikea retailer, has opened its first small format store in eastern Beijing. The 1,500 m² location, offering more than 3,000 home furnishing products, welcomed thousands of visitors on its inauguration day at the recently opened Wangfujing WellTown shopping centre in Beijing’s Tongzhou District.

The new store - the company’s fifth in the Chinese capital - is tailored to findings about how people live in Beijing and what type of solutions could improve their life at home further. Visitors can also access one-on-one planning support from home furnishing experts, alongside a curated food offering.

“Beijing has always been one of our key markets in China,” says Pontus Erntell, CEO at Ikea China. “Just a few weeks after opening a small store in Shenzhen, we are now bringing Ikea closer to a new community in the capital and, with further expansion both physically and digitally, to many more people across China.”

“One solution doesn’t fit all - and that is what makes our expansion more relevant today,” says Javier Quiñones, Global Commercial Manager at Ingka Group (Ikea). “We are getting closer to more people than ever, while continuously learning how to optimise our offer and presence.”

Some of the recent openings include the first Ikea store in Huntsville, Alabama, as well as new small format stores in Phoenix, Arizona, and an upcoming city location in Los Angeles, opening on 2nd May. In addition, a partnership with ten Best Buy stores in Florida and Texas is underway, marking the first time Ikea products and services are accessible through another US retailer. Pune in India, Cagliari in Italy, Girona in Spain, and other European cities have also recently added new stores.

Expansion is also reaching more remote locations. On Sweden’s largest island, Gotland, customers can now plan any part of their home and order solutions at a plan and order point in Visby. Similarly, the Croatian coastal city of Pula - known for its well preserved Roman amphitheatre - now hosts a plan and order point that also offers a selection of accessories available for immediate purchase.

This is part of Ingka Group’s Euro 5 billion, three-year investment aimed at opening new locations and improving existing ones across most of its 32 markets.

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.