Ikea heads for the high street

Flat-pack furniture giant Ikea is planning to take on the UK high street with a string of city centre stores.

The company, which normally favours out-of-town locations, will launch an assault on rivals in the embattled furniture sector with 10 new stores – as well as a home shopping service.

Ikea’s UK boss Peter Hogsted told the Daily Telegraph: “The only way we can expand in the UK is close to city centres and we have decided to do that.”

He said planning laws had frustrated attempts to build out-of-town warehouses.