Post by Milica Clayton

We are living in the experience economy and retailers have a great opportunity to challenge the traditional shopping experience. In recent years, IKEA has been experimenting with new store formats that are better suited to urban spaces. Take a look at new IKEA store formats in Vienna and Copenhagen. Due to the number of products displayed and stored on-site, most IKEA stores have large footprints and generously sized parking lots. In Vienna, a seven-storey IKEA destination is in development and it is strategically situated next to public transit. The whole building is geared towards pedestrians, subway and streetcar riders, and cyclists—there is no space for cars. Fortunately for customers, anything that can't be easily carried off-site can be delivered in one of the company's electric vans. Likewise, Danish studio Dorte Mandrup has designed an urban IKEA store in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the retail space will feature a green rooftop park for patrons to enjoy in the middle or after their shopping trip. The exterior of the building, on the other hand, boasts a noticeable wavy white facade that compliments (and challenges) the “traditional classic blue and yellow” of IKEA stores. The city-center IKEA is expected to open in 2023 in the Vesterbro neighborhood. Dorte Mandrup worked thoroughly to answer the needs (and behaviors) of urban consumers. This feature will be accessible both by foot or by bike. The green rooftop park offers a natural refuge from the concrete environment of the city—this space is especially needed because Vesterbro is “a densely populated and active district of the city. https://lnkd.in/eDEZaTRD https://lnkd.in/eZrJKJ7X #experience #sustainability #peopleandplanet