Ikea to pilot Decathlon shop-in-shop at Croydon store

Furniture giant Ikea is seeking to expand its range by trialling third-party retailers at its stores. In the UK, its parent company, Ingka Group, has confirmed that Decathlon will be among the brands piloting a shop-in-shop.

This spring, the sportswear retailer will be opening a 1,188 square foot standalone unit in Ikea’s Croydon store in London, marking the first pilot of the cooperative concept.

In the space, Decathlon will offer a curated selection of over 5,000 products, spanning hiking, camping, running and fitness gear, among other categories.

Circularity will be at the core of the concept, with the site to house a Buyback scheme alongside a Click & Collect service for shoppers.

In a statement, Decathlon UK’s London City leader, Mónica Cedres, said the new site at Ikea Croydon “represents a bold step in our mission to help more people across the UK and Ireland become active”.

“This is the next step in our retail journey to create a personalised local destination where our passionate team of sports experts can help customers rediscover or find their new favourite activity,” Cedres added.

The Decathlon launch comes on the back of a broader expansion strategy underway at Ikea, which opened seven new stores in the UK last year, including smaller city-centre locations in London and Brighton.

In other regions, the retailer is also venturing into more disparate realms, with a partnership with electronics retailer Kjell & Company already operating in two Swedish stores and discount homeware specialist Thomas Philipps due to open in Austria.

Javier Quiñones, commercial manager at Ingka Group Ikea, said: “Our ambition is to become as accessible as ever and give customers more reasons to visit us wherever they are on their home journey.

“By testing new ways of using our retail space together with other retailers, we want to further evolve our stores into inviting destinations that reflect what customers want today – convenience, inspiration and an expanded offer.”