Ikea has opened a new city-centre outlet in Paris as the Swedish furniture giant tries a new strategy for winning over urban consumers.
The Paris outlet at the Place de la Madeleine, a short walk from the bottom of the Champs-Elysees avenue, is four times smaller than Ikea's typical blue-box megastores, which are traditionally located on cheaper land on the edge of cities.
The company already has city-centre stores in Madrid and Stockholm, but they sell single product lines such as kitchens rather than the full range of items which is being offered in the Paris outlet.
Ikea operates four stores in the suburbs surrounding Paris and offers a free bus service for Parisians living in central areas to reach them.
"We have known for many years that there are people living in the centre of Paris who don't have a car or don't have enough time to interact with Ikea in the big shops, so this is a declaration of love to them," according to Jesper Brodin, the chief executive of Ikea's parent group.
With its new store, Ikea joins other major retailers hoping to tap into the growing number of urbanites who are loath to take taxis or public transport to stores outside the city limits.
The company is planning to cut 7,500 jobs worldwide by 2020.
