There will soon be no need to drive to Burlington with popular Swedish furniture store IKEA set to open the first of a new small scale store in the Forest City. According to a news release, London will soon be home to a new brand of smaller IKEA concept store “designed to make affordable, functional, and inspiring home furnishings more convenient.” The first of these stores to operate in Canada will open in London and will be in the former Hudson’s Bay store at White Oaks Mall, located at 1105 Wellington Rd. The anticipated opening is slated for fall 2026. “This smaller store will focus on everyday essentials and quick visits, bringing IKEA closer to where people live, work, and shop on a daily basis,” the release reads. “At IKEA, we’re on an exciting journey to transform our business to be more accessible, affordable, and sustainable to our customers no matter how they choose to shop with us,” said Selwyn Crittendon, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Canada. “As we approach our 50th anniversary in Canada this year, we are moving with speed to ensure that we continue to meet our customers’ evolving needs and dreams at home, guided by our founding vision to create a better everyday life for the many.” By offering IKEA on a smaller scale, the company says it will offer an innovative approach that reflects a rapidly changing retail landscape and customer preferences. The company says customer feedback to pilot stores has been positive in other countries. Visitors to the new London location can expect to find: “This new type of small store takes a different approach to establishing and operating to complement our other physical and digital customer meeting points, strengthen the omnichannel experience, and give customers more ways to shop with IKEA,” said Crittendon. IKEA says by being faster and more cost effective to operate, these smaller stores are able to operate in more communities. “The London area has always been an important market for IKEA Canada, and we’re thrilled to build on our existing presence with this exciting new store concept that will best serve the many Londoners,” Crittendon added. In March 2024, IKEA opened the London plan and order point, a service-based location where customers can book one-on-one appointments with IKEA experts to plan, design, and purchase home furnishing solutions for any room in the home such as kitchen renovations or bedroom storage systems. What else is in store for White Oaks Mall? In a statement, Westdell Development Corporation, the owner and operator of White Oaks Mall, says reimagining 165,000 square feet of space is more about bringing in great retailers, and was instead about bringing in the right partners. Formerly home to anchor tenant Hudson’s Bay, the empty space will be transformed into a “multi-use destination featuring a vibrant retail and entertainment hub.” “IKEA stood out immediately, not just for what they offer as a brand, but for what they stand for as an organization,” said Westdell Development Corporation President Iyman Meddoul. He adds that nearly 50,000 square feet of that space belongs to IKEA, and that the remainder of the space will be “equally transformative,” saying the company looks forward to sharing more in the weeks ahead.
