Swedish furniture giant IKEA has announced plans to close a West Midlands store this summer, putting 325 jobs at risk.
The store opened in 2007 and was billed as one of the few IKEA city centre stores in the world.
Now IKEA says closing the Queen Victoria Road store is the "right decision" for its business, though it is not abandoning the idea of city centre retail.
Peter Jelkeby, from IKEA UK, said: “ The proposed closure of the store has not been an easy decision, particularly given the impact it will have on our co-workers.
"I would like to thank our Coventry co-workers who have contributed enormously throughout this time.
“Although this isn’t an easy decision, this is the right decision for the long-term success of IKEA in the UK.
"At IKEA, we are constantly challenging ourselves to find ways to meet the needs of our customers and we will continue to try and test, investing in stores, fulfilment centres, city centre formats and our digital capabilities to make IKEA even more affordable, convenient and sustainable.”
When the seven-storey store opened in 2007, thousands of people queued up and extra police had to be brought in to control the traffic.
Marsha Smith, Area Manager IKEA UK and Ireland, told CoventryLive: “As we go through this process, our priority is to support our co-workers in the Coventry store.
"Our ambition is to retain as many people as possible within IKEA, and where this isn’t possible, support them to find new employment.
"We will work closely with our co-workers, impacted suppliers, unions and other trusted partners to ensure all our co-workers receive all the support they need.
“We feel privileged to have been part of the community for the last 12 years and I would like to thank our co-workers, customers and partners, who have contributed throughout this time.”
