Ikea has launched a pop-up shop on London’s Oxford Street dedicated to its blue carrier bag, as it hopes to attract shoppers ahead of the delayed opening of its new city centre store.
Shoppers will be able to personalise their Ikea bags with bespoke lettering, buy a selection of bestselling products, and walk through an immersive experience centred around its famous Frakta bag.
The Swedish flat-pack furniture retailer said the new pop-up, named Hus of Frakta, was a “playful tribute” to the shopping hub and proximity to designer bag retailers.
Ikea is expecting to open a large new store on Oxford Street in spring 2025.
The opening has faced delays after the retailer said it was taking longer than expected to renovate the more than 100-year-old building, including fixing leaks in the building’s basement.
Work started on the site, which was previously home to Topshop’s flagship London site, in 2022 and the planned opening has been pushed back twice.
Ikea’s pop-up store opened on Thursday, next door to where the new permanent shop will be, and will be open daily until March.
Visitors will be able to personalise their Frakta bag, which is known for its sturdy material, with their chosen initials.
The concept store is set to display a selection of products inspired by the carrier bag in a gallery-style space, while also selling a collection of bestselling items including vases, lamps and stools.
Furthermore, visitors will be taken through an immersive experience upon exiting the pop-up, which will feature ASMR sound technology, mirrored walls, and finish with being given a free stick of blue candy floss.
Matt Gould, Ikea’s London City store manager, said: “We‘re incredibly excited to bring Ikea to Oxford Street and know there‘s plenty of anticipation for the store opening next year.
“In a playful tribute to this iconic location, we took inspiration from the world of fashion and blended it with our own principles of democratic design so the Frakta can be discovered like never before.”
A survey conducted by Ikea last year found that about 45 per cent of UK households owned one of its blue carrier bags, with nearly a third keeping theirs for more than five years.
