Inside IKEA’s new Oxford Street shop with cafe including iconic meatballs and VERY different checkouts

AS soon as I stepped inside IKEA's new shop on London's Oxford Street I noticed how much smaller it is.

It's set over three floors and 5,400 square metres compared with the average size of 30,000 square meters for most of IKEA's locations - but it's for a very good reason.

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It's the second of IKEA's smaller format stores and while 6,000 IKEA products are on display you can only purchase 3,500 of these in-store.

But, importantly of course, you'll still be able to grab the Swedish retailer's iconic meatballs and 85p hot dogs - and it's all available for takeaway.

Like all the other IKEA locations, there's the usual arrows directing you around with the entrance floor as soon as you walk in.

The showroom and restaurant are both on the same floor.

As soon as I set my eyes on the cafe area I was excited. Of course, an IKEA trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to its iconic restaurant.

The menu is slightly smaller here than at other locations, but its prices are the same.

You'll be pleased to know that along with the Swedish meatballs, the bargain hot dogs, fish and chips, and Daim cake are all still on the menu.

A plate of eight meatballs served with mashed potatoes, peas, cream sauce and lingonberry jam costs its usual bargain price of £5.50.

I think the restaurant will be popular with workers in London's bustling West End wanting to grab a cheap brekkie, as a breakfast roll with bacon, sausage or veggie sausage is just £1.80, while a coffee is £1.25.

If you're wanting to grab and go, you can get IKEA's food in takeaway containers - or there are 130 seats in the restaurant.

The basement floor is where you can buy items and check out - but there's a difference here too. There are only self-checkouts and no manned tills.

You can also use the IKEA app to "scan and go" as you go around and check out on the IKEA app for items to be delivered, but you will have to pay a delivery fee.

Scan and go has been rolled out in other stores but it's still relatively new.

Peter Jelkeby, the chief executive of IKEA UK, told me the self-checkouts have been binned so staff can be used in other areas.

He said they haven't decided whether to ditch manned tills in all stores - but that the move towards more self-checkouts is well and there has been hardly any complaints from shoppers.

The shop's location on ever-busy Oxford Street means it's geared more towards shoppers popping in for smaller home items.

There's no car park here but the shop is set directly opposite Oxford Circus station, so most shoppers will be coming via public transport.

You won't be able to pick up larger furniture items - just in case you were wondering how you'd manage to get a bookcase or a bed frame back on the tube home.

Instead, you can order them for home delivery, click and collect, or get them sent to pick-up locations across the UK.

Delivery costs from £5 for smaller items.

If you're within the M25 you can collect from IKEA Hammersmith, 19 lockers in partnership with Shift, 11 pick-up points in partnership with Tesco, as well as at 1,907 DPD pick-up points.

You can also browse more of IKEA's range on screens across the store.

Lots of the showroom set-ups are based around common living situations you'll find around London - studio flats, small living spaces and work from home set-ups.

One of the things unique to this store is a Live Studio area, where customers can interact with a digital screen and where events will be held throughout the week.

These include sofa sessions, dinner parties with local chefs and talks about DIY, food and music.

It's worth noting this is one of the first IKEA shops on the high street in the UK.

The first of its kind opened in Hammersmith, west London, in 2022, bringing a smaller IKEA to the UK for the first time.

Another city centre store is set to open in Brighton in late spring, although no official date has been given for its opening yet.

A further three IKEAs are opening in retail parks in Harlow, Chester and Norwich later this year.

But why is IKEA expanding into smaller format stores? Mr Jelkeby says this is because of the way shopper habits are changing.

He said many people want to test and try out products in stores but then go home and order them online rather than buying in-store.

In 2019, the share of sales made online was 19% - but in 2024 it was 40%.

And while the concept of nipping to IKEA for a quick purchase on a Thursday afternoon might seem weird now, I quite like the idea of grabbing meatballs and some new tea towels during my lunch break.