[Brighton] Ikea buy Churchill Square and will open City store in old Debenhams

[dazzer6666]

Strange location for IKEA, it's normally out of town. Whilst I appreciate there is parking at Churchill Square, you have to re-mortgage the house for 2 hours to do so and you've then got to transport your Sven Goran Ericksen bookcase to the car from the shop.

Anyway, those cheap tea towels are excellent for one use one and done.

Don’t most people look at what they want in-store and then get it delivered ? For the big/heavy stuff, it’s basically a showroom.

 

[amexer]

Certainly does not include me but many including my wife love a trip to IKEA. I think this this will be a great boost to Brighton Town Centre. Very much needed.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Have you been to Burgess Hill recently?? Eastbourne is like Shangri-La in comparison

Apart from Burgess Hill has an Uncle Sams.
Which trumps anything Eastbourne may have to offer

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Don’t most people look at what they want in-store and then get it delivered ? For the big/heavy stuff, it’s basically a showroom.

I don't consider getting IKEA delivered. That's because the last thing IKEA delivered was when my lad was potty training albeit he hadn't quite got it yet. The IKEA delivery had to mind the steaming turd in the hallway we hadn't spotted him doing before we opened the door.

 

[AK74]

Excellent sponsorship opportunities for the club. We could play with a flat pack four

BILLY [Bookcase] Gilmour in midfield.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Apart from Burgess Hill has an Uncle Sams.
Which trumps anything Eastbourne may have to offer

Uncle Sams Rodmill (Eastbourne) - Restuarants - Uncle Sams - Uncle Sams Rodmill (Eastbourne)

www.unclesams.co.uk

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Uncle Sams Rodmill (Eastbourne) - Restuarants - Uncle Sams - Uncle Sams Rodmill (Eastbourne)

www.unclesams.co.uk

My word! When did that open?!
Allow me to eat my words. With large fries. And several wee sachets of salt

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

If it helps rejuvenate the main highstreets it's a good thing. Queens road, Western road, north street and Churchill square look more and more desolate and derelict every time I come back. The lanes and North laine are fine but those main areas are pretty shabby looking nowadays.

 

[dolphins]

Thank god central Brighton already has the transport infrastructure in place the handle what would be a massive influx of cars.

Presumably a city centre location works for them as there's the big one opening/opened at Oxford Circus...

 

[Dick Swiveller]

My word! When did that open?!
Allow me to eat my words. With large fries. And several wee sachets of salt

Been there for Donkeys. Mrs Swiveller used to love their burgers and has been Veggie for 15 years

 

[The Clamp]

Strange location for IKEA, it's normally out of town. Whilst I appreciate there is parking at Churchill Square, you have to re-mortgage the house for 2 hours to do so and you've then got to transport your Sven Goran Ericksen bookcase to the car from the shop.

Anyway, those cheap tea towels are excellent for one use one and done.

This is the early stages of their push into town centres.

I have heard tell that they plan to dominate physical retail like Amazon dominate online retail.

They are already HUGE globally.

The reason apparently, they don’t mark their lorries with “Ikea is because they believe the sheer amount of them on the road would freak people out.

 

[Blue3]

Are they though?

The two I've visited most are Southampton and Croydon, and I'd describe both as being very much "in town".

However expensive parking would be a problem

 

[VAL1850]

Apart from Burgess Hill has an Uncle Sams.
Which trumps anything Eastbourne may have to offer

Eastbourne has an Uncle Sam's opposite the hospital...

 

[METALMICKY]

Eastbourne town centre is dying on its arse isn't it. They should turn the Debenhams complex into flats and stop building those housing estates out in the countryside.

Not sure about that plan based on the type of flats they will build. They could easily be cheap and nasty cramming in as many as they can thereby effectively extending the drug dealing bedsit ghetto that is the Pevensey/Susan's Road area.

 

[Bozza]

However expensive parking would be a problem

I'm not convinced of that either.

Ikea's purchase includes the car parks, so I would be willing to guess that they will either reduce parking costs across the board, or make it significantly cheaper/free when you spend money in the Ikea store.

These are the rates for up to four hours at the Livat Centre in Hammersmith, where they also bought the entire mall and installed an Ikea store:

0-2 Hours £4.00
2-3 Hours £5.00
3-4 Hours £6.00

A fair bit cheaper than Churchill Square currently:

0-2 Hours £5.50
2-3 Hours £8.00
3-4 Hours £11.00

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Don’t most people look at what they want in-store and then get it delivered ? For the big/heavy stuff, it’s basically a showroom.

Do they actually do delivery now? For yonks they didn't. It meant a drive of shame to Croydon. Whether they do or whether they don't, will be excelente to browse the Churchill Square store and pick up all manner of cheap yet functional shit. Smorgasbord!

 

[Steve in Japan]

Not sure about that plan based on the type of flats they will build. They could easily be cheap and nasty cramming in as many as they can thereby effectively extending the drug dealing bedsit ghetto that is the Pevensey/Susan's Road area.

I was imagining a sort of Barbican style thing, but no, you're right, it would probably go the way you suggest

 

[dolphins]

Do they actually do delivery now? For yonks they didn't. It meant a drive of shame to Croydon. Whether they do or whether they don't, will be excelente to browse the Churchill Square store and pick up all manner of cheap yet functional shit. Smorgasbord!

Yup - and it is very good too. I converted our spare room (oo look at me with my mansion! haha) to an office at the start of lockdown with some suitable cupboards and a corner desk unit (it's a very small room so the best use of space). One of the better deliveries I've had; careful and helpful.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Are they though?

The two I've visited most are Southampton and Croydon, and I'd describe both as being very much "in town".

I take your point, some are in town but the ones up here (in the Midlands) they all have somewhere decent - and generally free - to park.

I was speaking to someone relatively senior in John Lewis recently and he explained why the one in the centre of Birmingham failed. The reasoning was that parking was limited and people don't tend to buy bulky items and take them on public transport. This resulted in sales comprising of the odd candle - Basically it was a high proportion of sales to women buying small items whilst waiting for the train. Electrical purchase were miles behind other large stores and John Lewis couldn't turn a profit with rent being precisely zero.

The location of this IKEA reminded me of that conversation.

 

[Badger]

They opened one of these smaller IKEA stores in downtown Toronto a couple of years ago. It's always very busy and like people have said, it's mainly the market hall stuff with a few furniture displays, along with the food hall. It's actualy a good place to go for a cheap lunch if you're in town.
However, there a couple of issues with opening in Brighton compared to what we have in Toronto:
- Public transport is good here, the store is right next to a subway station
- There isn't a huge amount of parking and I'm pretty sure IKEA don't subsidise it. However, for collection of larger furniture people get directed to a warehouse in the suburbs. Obviously Brighton won't have that option (or maybe they will?)

It is good to hear something is being done with Churchill Square though. When I was last over, the city centre felt like it had really gone downhill.