[In the picture] Ikea opens smallest store in Netherlands, focusing on advice

Ikea has opened its first Dutch Plan & Order Point, a compact store concept that fits almost forty times in a traditional Ikea store. The store focuses on service and offers customers advice, acting as an extension of a nearby larger store.

Closer to the customer

The new Ikea store in Leeuwarden, Friesland only has an area of 650 sqm: a lot smaller than the 25,000 sqm of a typical Ikea store. The compact concept focuses on advice: customers can find inspiration in a typical showroom and also purchase a selection of home accessories there.

The new shop acts as an extension of the much larger Ikea store in nearby Groningen, market manager Evelyn Cairo-Goris says: “We understand that customers need tailor-made advice for important purchases, such as kitchens and cabinets. With the Plan & Order Point in Leeuwarden, we are bringing this service closer to our customers.”

Expansion?

The opening is part of Ikea’s strategy to increase accessibility and allow customers to shop in different places and in different ways. For example, the retailer is also investing in improved shipping and delivery services, pick-up lockers and innovative pick-up machines, eliminating the need for customers to enter the shop to collect their orders.

Leeuwarden is the first new Dutch Ikea store for nine years and also the first Dutch shop with this store concept, although it does already exist abroad – including in London. The retailer is investigating whether there are other suitable locations besides the Leeuwarden branch to open similar small store points.