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Swedish furniture giant IKEA is opening a Greenwich store in 2018. Articles on Greenwich.co.uk which mention the development are listed below.

IKEA starts assembling new Greenwich Peninsula store

November 29, 2017 By Rod Kitson

IKEA has begun building work on its Greenwich Peninsula superstore - its first new full sized store in London for 13 years.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place yesterday at the construction site at Millennium Way Retail Park, attended by Greenwich Council's deputy leader Cllr Danny Thorpe and the Mayor of Greenwich, Cllr Peter Brooks.

The Swedish furniture giant is investing £100 million into the new 32,000 sq m store which it says is creating 560 jobs and is the most central of its sites in the capital.

Speaking to Greenwich.co.uk, store manager, Janie Bisset, said:  “We know that people in London have more choice and want convenience in how they get things, and can get everything super-fast. We want to make sure we connect with that. We are very proud that this will be the most accessible store in London.”

The start of work on site comes four years after IKEA first announced its plans, with the proposal being one of the most controversial local planning applications of recent years.

The Charlton Society, Westcombe Society and Greenwich Conservation Group all opposed the application during the planning process.

Responding to concerns that the new store - next to the Blackwall Tunnel approach road - will negatively impact already-busy local roads, Bisset added: “The goal is we will have as many people travelling by public transport as possible, and then we offer really great services so you can make sure it’s delivered next day to your home.

“As part of the planning constraints we are part of the sustainability travel agenda with the council and that outlines all the things in there where we really consider how our consumers travel and how workers will travel in. Our ambition is that 100 per cent of our co-workers will travel by sustainable means.”

IKEA claims the store will be the “most sustainable” of all its UK sites, with solar panels and wind turbines hoped to be producing as much energy as it consumes by 2020. A roof garden is a UK first for IKEA, as are workshops for customers who want to refurbish their tired furniture.


Sketch of the new store's proposed roof garden

Built on the site of the now-demolished "eco Sainsburys", which received an award from RIBA for its sustainability yet only survived 13 years, how will IKEA measure its own sustainability claims?

UK Sustainability Manager Hege Saebjornsen told Greenwich.co.uk that it was not just about the store's environmental impact.

She said: “What’s important for us is that sustainability doesn’t just mean the environmental side. We’re building sustainability into the building and what it offers customers, but it also has to be financially sustainable as a business.

“So sustainability is important in terms of, ‘How does the business need to grow to be around for 25 years?’ We could have built something that could have been perceived as even more of a sustainable store from an external perspective, but actually this will now work from an environmental, social and financial dimension.

“But we’re very confident about the holistic nature of how we’re developing the Greenwich store. How confident are we that we will deliver on our sustainability claims? For us, absolutely.”

The store, which is due to open winter 2018, will cater to a different market from those further out of town, says store manager Janie Bisset.

She said. “We know around this store we have lots of shared rentals, a lot of people who might be 40, have a good job in London but share a house.

“It’s about how we show the range. So if you think of a high-rental area, people spend more or less their whole life in their bedroom. A range for a bedroom here would be dramatically different from how we would show a range for a bedroom in Scotland.

“Potentially you’d have a microwave and eating quarters in your bedroom or a work space, sofa-bed so you could sit and watch the TV. We have 8000 articles and present the ranges differently depending on our markets.

“You should walk into the Greenwich store - or any store near you - and think ‘Ah, they understand the way I live. We’ll show you something that is your style, but also something where you might think: ‘I should try that’.”


Artist's render of new Greenwich IKEA.

Photo top: IKEA Greenwich Store Manager, Janie Bisset and IKEA Sustainability Manager for the UK and IE, Hege Saebjornsen joined by Cllr Danny Thorpe, Deputy Leader of the Council, and Cllr Peter Brooks, the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, in leading the groundbreaking ceremony for the new store.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Greenwich IKEA

Greenwich.co.uk weekly round up – 15 March 2014

March 15, 2014 By Greenwich.co.uk

The King's Troop can regularly be seen in Charlton Park for exercises and, indeed, around the rest of the borough. I went along to watch them on Thursday and got some photos of them in the lovely spring sunshine and followed them along to Woolwich Common where they fired one of their guns.

King's Troop in Woolwich

King's Troop in Woolwich

I posted some photos on the Greenwich.co.uk forum.

Also on the forum is a collection of daffodils from around Greenwich and a forum user is wondering if anyone has any recommendations for fence repairers.

daffsnmm

I didn't get a chance to do a "weekly round up" last week, but if I had I would surely have noted that Greenwich Council's Planning Board approved Ikea's outline planning application for a new shop where Sainsbury's and the old Comet currently are. 853 blog gave its reaction here.

Following the recent AGM of the Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce, the Chair Sue Gay has posted an update on their site with details of latest news which includes plans to run a new bark park from Lizzie's nice cafe along to the gate. Read the post for all the news and also details of next weekend's Orchard work day.

For Charlton fans, the sacking of Chris Powell and the direction of the club were big talking points this week. Top CAFC match reporter Kevin Nolan offered his thoughts in his latest match report for the site, kindly sponsored by Grant Saw Wealth Management.

Filed Under: Weekly Roundup Tagged With: Greenwich IKEA

Greenwich.co.uk weekly round up – 1 March 2014

March 1, 2014 By Rob Powell

IKEA in Greenwich

IKEA's application to turn the big Sainsbury's and Comet into a big new branch of the popular furniture shop divided opinion when the plans were revealed. The matter will be decided upon this week when the Planning Board assembles at the Town Hall on Monday evening at 6.30pm. Council officers have recommended that the plans be given the green light.

Just as likely to divide opinion as IKEA is the long-running controversy of the Run To The Beat event. Last year the event moved the start and finish to Greenwich Park and this year the organisers have decided to move it out of Greenwich altogether and it will take place in Wembley. Will you miss it or are you glad it's going?

Hotel Checks Out

Another application that was causing controversy recently appears to have been quietly dropped for now.  Simon has updated this forum thread with the news that Frank Dowling's application for a large hotel, replacing Trident Hall behind the Trafalgar Tavern, has been withdrawn.

Blackheath Fireworks

Cabinet member councillor John Fahy conducted a survey through his website to see if people thought the council should once again help fund Blackheath Fireworks and the results were revealed last Monday. It turns out they do, by a massive majority. 91% of the people who took part said the council should help fund the event. Read more on his website.

You can keep up to date with the best of the local blogosphere with the Greenwich blogs page on Greenwich.co.uk.

Frankenstein

Another week, another movie being filmed in Greenwich. This time the Old Royal Naval College hosted the cast and crew of Frankenstein, which stars Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy. There were lots of excited tweets as the news spread that the Harry Potter star was filming at the ORNC, which is of course also home to the University of Greenwich. Thanks very much to Graham Long for sharing this photo from shooting that took place on Wednesday evening.

frankenstein

The ORNC has recently appointed Will Palin as its new Conservation Director and there was a lovely gathering at the wonderful Warwick Leadlay gallery during the week to welcome him to his post. Horatio's brilliantly funny and mischievous poem was an unforgettable, and unrepeatable, highlight. Best wishes to Will Palin in his new and important role!

And still with the Old Royal Naval College... a new series of concerts have been announced for this summer with names like Goldfrapp, Russell Watson and Jools Holland performing. Get more information here.

Snow's No Show

It was reported in the week that London and the south east might get hit by snow yesterday (Friday). The white stuff failed to materialise though so it has turned out to be a pretty snowless winter. Looks like we may have to wait until next winter to once again see scenes like this.

Snowy Old Royal Naval College with vintage filter

Two people, however, did get snow on Friday as I delivered these two large prints to two very nice Greenwich residents. If you've seen a photo on the site you would like as a print or have a special request you would like to have photographed, please feel free to send me an email.

1604522_10152457148964505_1559667108_n

Greenwich Series

As well as the council's Planning Board on Monday night, it's also the next of the Greenwich Series events where interesting folk give a short talk to interested listeners above a pub in Greenwich. More info here. Thanks to organiser Matt for adding it to the site and if you have an event coming up you would like to publicise, you can do the same here.

Filed Under: Weekly Roundup Tagged With: Greenwich IKEA

They Shall Grow Not Old

Roll of Honour Brand new booklet listing Greenwich's fallen from the First World War. See the list of over 1800 local men combined with photography of local memorials. Available now - £5

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