Bored of the interiors between your four walls this lockdown?
Well, that’s probably natural considering we’ve all been stuck inside for weeks. But, you might be able to spruce the house up a bit soon, as IKEA have announced their plan to reopen nineteen UK branches on June 1. The move had been rumoured after B&Q and Homebase reopened with new social distancing measures, but the mooted May 18 deadline passed without incident. However, the company has annoucing today that at the start of June, they’ll be reopening with social distancing measures in place.
All 22 UK and Ireland branches were closed on March 20, after lockdown measures were introduced. They hadn’t been able to reopen so they weren’t considered an essential chain, but a slight easing of the UK’s strict lockdown guidelines seems to have changed that. At present, customers are still allowed to purchase items on the IKEA website.
The nineteen stores are spread across England and Northern Ireland, with Scottish, Welsh, and Irish stores remaining closed due to the guidance of their respective regional governments. The social distancing measures will include wardens patrolling stores, limiting the number of customers through the doors in a staggered entry system, keeping play areas and restaurants closed, and asking customers to bring a list of what they want to buy in order to ensure speed. Additionally, only one adult and one child from each household will be allowed in-store.