The Swedish retailer’s new 32,000sq ft sustainable store in London’s Greenwich will open its doors to the public on February 7.

Ikea has described the new outlet as “a beacon of sustainability for Ikea in the UK” and has been designed as “a meeting place for the local community”, as well as having a positive impact on the environment. Customers are encouraged to leave their cars at home, with the location of the store easily accessible by public transport and a range of delivery services on offer, from 24-hour delivery for those living within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, to a Zedify bike courier service, competitively-priced mini cabs and Hertz EV van hire.

As the retailer seeks to offer an interactive environment for customers, the Greenwich store will offer unique facilities, flexible work areas, workshops and free green spaces in addition to the traditional Ikea product range, inspirational room sets, crèche, restaurant, bistro and Swedish food market.

These facilities include a roof garden, roof pavilion and a Learning Lab, where customers, creative partners and the local community will be able to explore prolonging the life of products, grow food, upcycle and live a healthier and more sustainable life at home. The store has created 500 new jobs, with many workers recruited from the local area.

Ikea Greenwich store manager Helen Aylett said: “We are incredibly excited that Greenwich will be home to our first leading sustainable store in the UK. We want to inspire and enable more people to live a better everyday life at home and we look forward to inviting our customers and the local community to enjoy a unique Ikea experience that puts their needs and lifestyles first.”

Ikea Greenwich will be the retailer’s more environmentally-friendly store yet and is targeting a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method)  ‘outstanding’ accreditation, incorporating a number of green technologies, such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting, renewable construction materials and a geothermal heating system. The store is aiming to achieve 100% renewable energy and the interior will feature lots of natural light, reducing a dependence on artificial lighting.

Ms Aylett continued: “Ikea Greenwich has been designed to reflect the way people want to live and shop in London. We are committed to providing value, speed and convenience so customers travelling to the store can leave their cars at home. As well as investing in local public transport, we will have a range of services to make shopping with us as easy and affordable as possible. For the first ten weeks of opening, we will also introduce a special offer on home delivery for people living within 40-minutes of the store by public transport.”

In a bid to work more closely with the local community, Ikea Greenwich has also sponsored an ecology park next to the store and is currently working with three local schools to share its expertise on sustainable living through its Live LAGOM programme.

“Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at Ikea. We want to be a force for change by having a lasting, positive impact on people and the planet,” said country sustainability manager Ikea UK & Ireland, Hege Sæbjørnsen. “Ikea is playing a key role in the shift towards a circular economy, and the new Greenwich store will be a leading example for circular retail in London as we aim to inspire and enable people to live a more sustainable life at home and support them to reuse, refresh or recycle their products.”

In addition to Ikea Greenwich and existing full-sized London stores in Wembley, Tottenham, Croydon and Lakeside, Ikea opened a Planning Studio on Tottenham Court Road in October and recently announced plans to open a further one on Bromley High Street in spring 2019.