New Brighton city centre Ikea to open next month

Ikea will open its newest store in Brighton's Churchill Square on 14 August, the retailer says

Ikea will open its new two-storey shop in Brighton on 14 August, the retailer has confirmed.

The Swedish homeware store will launch its new two-storey, 6,695 sq m (72,064 sq ft) site as the anchor unit for Churchill Square Shopping Centre.

The new shop will be the first time that the unit in Churchill Square has been filled since Debenhams closed in May 2021 as the brand disappeared from the High Street during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Karen Gilpin, market manager of the store, said the opening is "a celebration of Brighton's bold personality".

The opening of Ikea in Churchill Square comes after the shopping centre was bought by the Ingka Centres, part of the group which also owns Ikea.

Ingka bought the shopping centre in November 2023 in a deal estimated to be worth £145m.

'Vote of confidence'

The store is the latest of Ikea's smaller High Street shops, as opposed to its full-sized sites which first opened in the UK in 1987.

Previous plans for a full-size Ikea shop in Lancing were axed in 2021 with the company blaming changing customer habits.

Bella Sankey, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said the opening of the new shop is a "real vote of confidence" in the city, bringing new jobs and investment into the local economy.

An Ikea pop-up shop, opened in Churchill Square ahead of the new development, will close on 10 August.