IKEA to Open Pop-Up Studio on Prague’s Wenceslas Square

Ask any assortment of Praguers where they get their furniture, and one name will stand out above the rest.

Swedish furniture giant IKEA has long been a favorite in the Czech capital for their affordable prices and DIY craftiness. The brand has two warehouse locations on opposite sides of Prague in Černý Most and Zličín, along with another two elsewhere in the Czech Republic in Ostrava and Brno.

And now, Prague is going to get a third IKEA location.

Just don’t expect the same size and service as the warehouses: Prague’s new IKEA will be an 800-square-meter pop-up studio right in the center of the city, and will only operate for a maximum of two years.

“We do not want to create the expectations of the [larger] department store. It will work so that the customer plans their own interior, and at the same time orders a complete IKEA assortment, which will be delivered to home.”

The new IKEA studio will be located on Prague’s Wenceslas Square, in the premises of a former Česká spořitelna building. It will employ around 30 people, who are expected to serve around 1,000 customers per day – – about 10% of the larger warehouses.

The new location will also feature a cafe.

The IKEA pop-up studio was initially planned to open this month, but construction delays have pushed the timeframe back. Developers are now eyeing a mid-September launch.

IKEA employs the same pop-up studio concept in the center of other major European cities, including Stockholm, Madrid, and Zurich.

IKEA has been operating in the Czech Republic for 22 years since opening its first branch in Zličín in 1996. Last year, it’s turnover in the Czech Republic was nearly 10 billion crowns.