Ikea has announced plans to open three new stores in the UK, with it creating 1,300 jobs by the end of 2018.
jobsThe company said on Wednesday it had begun construction on the first of three new stores, which will be located in Sheffield, Exeter and London.
“As we continue to expand, we’re delighted to bring investment to new areas across the country and create new opportunities for local communities.” said Ikea’s UK boss, Gillian Drakeford.
“This year we are celebrating Ikea’s 30th anniversary in the UK, and we are seeing more demand from customers for more stores in areas closer to where they live.”
Once the stores are open, the Swedish company will have a total of 11,700 employees in the UK.
Ikea also reaffirmed its commitment to pay all Ikea employees the Real Living Wage – a voluntarywage at £9.75 per hour in London and £8.45 in other parts of the UK. Ikea was the first in the UK to guarantee employees the Real Living Wage.
The new roles will include store management, customer relations, sales, food and beverage, interior design, sustainability, IT and marketing.
In November, Ikea said that the UK revenues rose 8.9 percent to £1.72 billion in the year ending 31 August 2016. This was the group’s fifth consecutive year of sales growth.
The Swedish flatpack furniture chain have also comitted to Britain despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
“We believe there is a lot of opportunity in the UK … yes, absolutely, there will be more stores. We will continue to invest.” said Drakeford.
350 jobs will be created in the new Exeter store, 500 in Greenwich, London and a further 480 roles will be created in Sheffield.
Once the three new stores have opened, Ikea will have 22 outlets in the UK. The retailer also has four smaller format stores.