What: A new concept placing the Ikea brand as a community space in malls.

Why it is important: Ikea is testing several store formats and brand formulation iterations. By doing this, they are gathering data from different sets of customers, and also exploring options that could serve as examples for other retailers looking to expand their store format portfolio.

Ikea is planning the opening of a new store format in Hammersmith mall in London, and this format is planned to be extended to the US and Canada. Interestingly, they are adding a new format to the traditional big box format (which will also be the format used for their first city centre store in the former Topshop location in London) and the “close to you” convenience store.

This new concept, called “Livat” (lively gathering in Swedish language) is specially adapted to malls with a reduced product offer (1,800 available to take away and 4,000 on display), only self-service checkouts options, and designed to be community spaces where people like to gather.

Ikea opens urban London mall with San Francisco and Toronto next