Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA is opening three more of its IKEA Design Studios in southern Ontario this fall as the retailer expands the concept. All three Studios are in leading shopping centre properties, marking a new chapter for IKEA which has traditionally located in large big-box storefronts.
IKEA’s first design studio in Canada opened in September and is located at the Oshawa Centre in Oshawa, east of Toronto. The inline retail space offers a dedicated location for personalized design services and one-to-one planning with IKEA experts.
This fall, Ikea is introducing three more of its IKEA Design Studios to southern Ontario. Already, a location in Brampton at the Bramalea City Centre last week and soon, locations will also open at The Pen Centre in St. Catharines, as well as at CF Masonville Place in London ON late October or early November.
The Design Studio is a new concept for the Canadian market that allows customers to design and order complex home furnishing systems for the kitchen, bath, bedroom and living room by scheduling one-on-one planning sessions with a trained IKEA design expert or via a self-service planning station in a dedicated studio space.
“Our ambition is to become more accessible to Ontario residents by bringing IKEA closer to them and offering new, convenient services that meet the evolving demands of our lives at home,” said Toronto Area Manager Niclas Karlsson-Järnkrok. “The IKEA Design Studio is one of the many ways we’re delivering local, relevant home furnishing solutions to meet these evolving needs in a meaningful way.”
The IKEA Design Studio concept is significantly smaller than a traditional Ikea store and will showcase the brand’s full range through digital solutions along with a small, curated selection of product samples on display. Ikea products or food are not available for immediate takeaway. The design studios are something of a pop-up concept that will be open for 12-18 months.
