In news set to rock the London retail world to its already shaky foundations, the huge now-empty Topshop right on Oxford Circus could be taken over by flatpack Swedish light-industrial estate icons IKEA. It’s reported that the boys in blue and yellow have bid nearly £400m to acquire the 100,000 square-foot premises (which include a former Nike Town and an ex-Vans store) from Philip Green’s kaput Arcadia Group (so hopefully some of it can go into their pension fund, hint hint).
Reaction in the Time Out office to the news ranged from Nikki’s ‘That’s really weird’ to Anne’s ‘I don’t know how I feel about that’ to Esther’s ‘I don’t think there should be meatballs near that many people’. I mean, it is pretty bizarre to think of the quintessentially ring-road experience that is the trip to IKEA suddenly being recreated in the middle of London’s most famous shopping street. Fair enough, there was an IKEA on nearby Tottenham Court Road, which closed in July this year, but it was just a showroom (or so-called ‘planning studio’) and it was on a street that already has several big-name homeware brands (Habitat, Heal’s). Oxford Street, home of dodgy perfume auctions, weird US sweetshops and about 400 McDonald’s is a very different kettle of herring.
Details are lacking at this stage as to what we can expect in terms of the new store’s product range and facilities. Can you buy a bed, and try to take it home on the Central line? Will there be the hallowed crêche? Finally – and as alluded to earlier – what will be the deal with the famous café, confusing queues, bottomless coffee and legendary MEATBALLS? We’re weirdly excited to find out…
More details and updates here.
In pictures: Peperami’s terrifying walk-in-fridge ice bar.
Or why not have some meat at the capital’s finest steak places?
0 Comments