Deviating from its traditional store design, Ikea plans to build a 2-km-long store in a linear layout. To be designed by the UK-based architectural firm, Dezeen, this single-floor, narrow store building will be designed in the brand's iconic blue and yellow colors.
Instead of the usual maze-like path, the store will enable customers to walk straight through the its layout, starting with showrooms, then moving through the marketplace, the self-service furniture area, and finally reaching the checkouts. To prevent customers from being fatigued by excessive walking, the retailer will provide a hop-on, hop-off travelator.
The store will also house the famous Ikea food court at the centre alongwith a fast lane’ travelator to provide customers with a direct access instead of without traversing the entire store’s length.
Despite this significant change in layout, the store will retain one the Ikea feature of a store without windows.
This redesign comes in response to growing customer complaints about getting lost in Ikea's traditionally labyrinthine stores.
With the rise of digital maps, GPS and the very real fact that people barely look up from their phone screens anymore, the previous navigation skills seem to be missing, observes Tolga Oncu, Head-Retail, Ikea. Hence, the retailer plans to build a layout that would prevent customers from getting lost in the store, he explains.
