First look at new Preston IKEA store to open at Deepdale Retail Park later this month

The Scandinavian retailer will open its new Plan & Order Point at Deepdale Retail Park towards the end of July.

“We’ll be opening in around two weeks’ time,” said a spokesman for IKEA, who said an exact opening date has yet to be confirmed.

“I can also confirm that the Plan & Order Point will have a Click & Collect facility, meaning that customers will be able to order any item from IKEA and collect it free of charge from the new Preston site,” added the spokesman.

Where is the new IKEA in Preston?

The new IKEA Preston store will open at the former Toolstation unit at Deepdale Trade Park, off Blackpool Road, which has been vacant since 2019.

What is an IKEA Plan & Order Point?

Customers will be able to order any item from IKEA and collect it free of charge from the new Preston Plan & Order Point .

The Deepdale Retail Park site will also feature a kitchen and bathroom showroom

Customers will be able to book a free design appointment with one of IKEA’s expert advisers at the store and order items for delivery/collection.

There will be no products to take away or food for sale on site, but purchases made at the Plan and Order points can be delivered to your home.

Although much smaller than a standard IKEA store, the plan and order point will provide information, samples, tools and ‘specialist knowledge’ to help plan a kitchen or bedroom make-over.

"A POP is a new trading concept for IKEA, with Preston being one of the first locations to pilot this operation,” said a spokesman for IKEA.

"The new format is to cater to customers that are looking for a specific, targeted service for planning and buying fitted kitchens and bedroom furniture.”

Why Preston?

IKEA said the new Preston Plan & Order Point is intended to make its furniture ‘more accessible’ for customers in Lancashire.

Area manager Michael Parker said: "We need to be close to where people live, work and socialise. We also have a soft spot for the North West as our first UK store was opened in Warrington 35 years ago.

“The plan and order points allow customers to go into the store and get all of the inspiration and see some really clever storage solutions and then sit down with one of the kitchen specialists at IKEA and spend all the time they want planning their dream.

“We're starting to enable an IKEA that is more accessible and we've already started to introduce home planning into the North West.

"That's where if customers want help planning a kitchen then a co-worker will go to a customer's home and help them plan. The customer can also do that online or remotely if they want.”

What happened to a new IKEA planned for South Ribble?

In 2018, the retailer pulled the plug on plans for a first of its kind Lancashire IKEA on the edge of the M65 and M6 motorways, close to Bamber Bridge.

There are now plans to build a retail and business park on the site instead. You can find out more on the latest plans here.