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Ikea hires its third UK chief in two years

Ikea has appointed the third head of its UK and Ireland business in under two years, as the flatpack furniture store targets city centres.

Peter Jelkeby will take over as country retail manager for Ikea UK and Ireland, replacing Javier Quinones who was recently promoted to the same job at Ikea USA.

The change in leadership comes just a year after Quinones took up the role of UK boss, when he succeeded Gillian Drakeford.

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Jelkeby has previously held executive roles at Swedish retailer Clas Ohlson and was most recently acting chief executive of the business.

He is to return to Ikea having previously worked at the company for 20 years, holding roles including store manager of Ikea Lakeside and deputy retail manager of Ikea UK and Ireland.

He said Ikea was at a "significant point in our history" as it works to "evolve and renew our business".

He added: "Building on many years of solid growth, we are responding to the changing needs of our customers to secure an Ikea that is affordable, reaches more people, delivers excellent customer experience and is truly people and planet positive."

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The home retailer has made a push into UK city centres, as it adapts to higher levels of renting in urban areas.

But the UK business is also expected to cut 350 jobs as part of a global transformation plan across the business, which will see a total of 7,500 jobs lost but will also create 11,500 new roles.

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