Ikea expanding new format in Canada

Ikea has renamed its Planning Studio format.

Ikea Canada is expanding its Plan and order point store network with a location at Fairway shopping center in Kitchener, Ontario. Previously referred to as a Planning Studio at several locations, the global concept will be known as a Plan and order point “to more clearly articulate the experience that customers can expect,” according to Ikea.) The Kitchener outpost will open in fall 2022.

The new Plan and order point store will offer planning services by appointment only for a more personalized experience. It will also showcase a curated selection of relevant home furnishing solutions for customers to touch and try. No products or food be available for immediate takeaway. Instead, purchases made at an Ikea Plan and order point can be delivered directly to customers' homes or picked up at local Ikea Pick-up location.

There are more than 30 Plan and order point locations globally in cities that include Copenhagen, Berlin, London and New York.

“The Ikea plan and order point is one of the many ways we're transforming our business to deliver new customer touchpoints and locally relevant home furnishing services that better meet the everyday needs of Canadians in an affordable way," said Eri Mathy, country business development manager, Ikea Canada. "

The Plan and order point store in Kitchener is scheduled to open in fall 2020. It's the second of several planned locations in Canada, including a location in Boisbriand, Quebec.