Work begins on Reading Ikea store

Home furnishing retailer IKEA has officially marked the start of construction of its new Reading store.

The first to be built in the UK in seven years, the new store will bring the IKEA product range to the doorsteps of customers in the Thames Valley.

The leader of the West Berkshire Council, Cllr Gordon Lundie, joined IKEA Reading Store Manager, Johanna Heuren and IKEA UK Country Retail Manager, Gillian Drakeford, (all pictured) to ceremonially cement a steel column at the entrance of the new store, which will welcome thousands of customers when it opens in Summer 2016.

The 32,000m² steel-framed store on Pincents Lane, Calcot, will bring 350 job opportunities. Walter Watson will ultimately erect 3,500t of structural steelwork for the project that also includes a three-storey car park.

Johanna Heuren, IKEA Reading Store Manager, said: “We are delighted to officially kick-off the development of the new IKEA Reading store. Over the coming months we will be focused on finding passionate and curious co-workers to join our team and getting to know the local area better to ensure that IKEA meets the needs of both our customers and our community.”

Gillian Drakeford, IKEA UK Country Retail Manager, said: “As the first new store to be built in the UK in seven years, the start of work on the IKEA Reading store is a really important milestone for our expansion plans as we look to make IKEA more accessible to many more people.”

When it opens, IKEA Reading will be the 19th traditional IKEA store in the UK. The first store was opened in Warrington in 1987.