Ikea is a close a UK store for the first time. The Swedish furniture company said it will close the doors of its £35 million Coventry branch, which opened in December 2007, with 352 workers expected to lose their jobs.
It said the site in the city centre was too expensive to keep operating and had lost customers to retail parks and online shopping.
Ikea, which opened its first UK store in north London 33 years ago, said: "The store was built over seven levels, which resulted in a significant impact on the operating costs of the store and the shopping experience for customers.
"In addition, the changing behaviour of customers in the area who prefer to shop in retail parks and online has resulted in visitor numbers being substantially lower than expected and continuing to decrease over time. These factors have led to the store making consistent losses."
The company said it tried a number of initiatives to keep the store open but "these have not resolved the fundamental challenges connected to the location and the format of the store".
It now has 22 stores including Braehead, Glasgow, and in Ediburgh, and is looking at rolling out more city centre locations - but far smaller than the Coventry site.
