When is Ikea reopening? Location of 19 UK stores that are open - and which other furniture shops have reopened

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Lockdown restrictions are gradually beginning to ease across the country, with the UK government now permitting homeware stores to reopen for business in England

The rule change has already seen the likes of Matalan and Dunelm reopen a number of their branches, and several more chains have now followed suit and opened their doors to customers.

Which furniture stores are reopening?

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On 22 May, DFS reopened a handful of its outlets to customers after the government gave the green light for furniture stores to restart trading.

DFS will reopen a handful of its outlets to customers from 22 MayDFS will reopen a handful of its outlets to customers from 22 May
DFS will reopen a handful of its outlets to customers from 22 May | Other 3rd Party

Furniture Village also reopened all 52 of its branches on 23 May, with new social distancing measures in place.

The company tested new safety measures in six stores ahead of its reopening, including Bristol, Gillingham, Tamworth and York, and stores have now been rearranged so that every customer will be greeted at the entrance.

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At this point, shoppers will be required to have their temperature checked and will be asked to sanitise their hands before entering the store.

Staff will also be subject to temperature checks ahead of entering and will be equipped with protective face shields, along with perspex screens in front of tills.

Disposable pens will also be available for any paperwork that needs to be filled out.

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Sofa specialist ScS has also said it is aiming to reopen “as soon as practically possible”.

Is Ikea reopening?

Ikea reopened 19 of its stores across England and Northern Ireland on 1 June, with social distancing wardens patrolling stores to ensure government safety guidance is maintained.

However, families are banned from entering the stores, with the retailer only permitting one adult and one child per household inside at any one time.

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Play areas and restaurants in the stores will remain shut, but customers can buy the store’s popular meatballs in food courts to cook at home.

Extra hand sanitiser and frequent deep cleans of shared items and areas, including bags, trolleys, bathrooms and touch screens will take place, and only contactless card payments will be accepted in stores.

The stores that are now open are in Croydon, Greenwich, Lakeside, Wembley, Tottenham, Norwich collection point, Birmingham, Nottingham, Belfast, Manchester, Warrington, Gateshead, Leeds, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, Reading, Southampton, Bristol and Exeter.

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Thousands of shoppers flocked to the stores when they reopened on 1 June, with many saying they gave up after facing several hours of queuing to get in.

What stores are already open?

Homeware chain Dunelm reopened seven of its stores in the Midlands on 12 May, after the government gave the go-ahead for such stores to start reopening for business.

Since this date, the retailer has gradually reopened 39 of its 171 stores and allowed shoppers who placed orders online to collect them from the majority of its locations from 12 May.

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The gradual reopening comes after the UK government clarified its definition of “essential” retailers to say that homeware stores were now included.

Retailers had previously refrained from opening due to concerns over safely operating deliveries of large items, such as sofas and beds, which require two people.

When will non-essential shops reopen?

In England, non-essential retailers are to be reopened in phases from 1 June, providing it is considered safe to do so and outlets can adhere to new guidelines.

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Scotland will begin to reopen shops in the last stage of its lockdown exit plan, which will only begin once the virus remains suppressed to very low levels and is no longer considered a significant threat to public health.

Non-essential shops could be permitted to reopen in Northern Ireland from 1 June, while in Wales, the Welsh government has not specified dates on when restrictions could be eased.

However, First Minister Mark Drakeford did state that some measures would need to be reintroduced much further down the line than other areas, including retail.