Ikea and H&M launch ‘ideas factory’ for local designers and creatives in London | Retail industry

Swedish stores Ikea and H&M are teaming up to create an “ideas factory” on the large road that aims to seek out, mentor and encourage designers and small-scale makers in London.

Atelier 100, the first joint retail venture concerning the world’s greatest household furniture retailer and a single of the biggest international trend chains will open up in Hammersmith, west London, in May possibly and is launching an open get in touch with on Thursday for creatives and producers based inside 100km of the retail outlet to aid inventory its shelves.

The keep is in Ikea’s 1st United kingdom shopping centre, Livat, which opened in February, and is intended to be a conference area and place of work for designers and makers, assisting to foster new alliances and strategies, and be an outlet for marketing their creations. Productive applicants will get up to £10,000 to enable scale up their concepts into commercially practical merchandise, and schooling and mentoring from Ikea and H&M insiders as nicely as other specialists.

All varieties of projects will be regarded as, from magnificence and vogue to jewelry, artwork and even new music. The only limitation is that any conclude products should be little adequate for customers to carry away from the Hammersmith retail outlet. The glimpse and sense of the shop is also probably to improve to reflect the pursuits and thoughts formulated by people involved.

“We want to be open to thoughts,” claimed Camilla Henriksson, the international brand innovation manager for H&M. She claimed the two merchants preferred to “come closer to the customers” and to community persons with thoughts to be certain they continued to supply what people want.

Marcus Engman, the chief innovative officer at Ikea’s father or mother Ingka Group, claimed the Hammersmith outlet was a 12 months-very long pilot project. If it will work, additional venues will be developed in other cities close to the entire world in foreseeable future.

He reported that the strategy for Atelier100 experienced been under dialogue for some time but was section of the search for new thoughts to recreate high streets that have been hit by the pandemic and the shift to online searching.

“You can either see it as a hard time for retail or that there has by no means been extra chance for creating the upcoming methods of retailing than proper now. We try out to have a positive outlook and see points will get far better,” Engman said.

The initially 20 applicants for Atelier100, who have right up until 24 April to put them selves forward, will be capable to commence offering their existing products in Hammersmith from upcoming thirty day period. It is hoped that new goods produced with assistance from the undertaking will go on sale from Oct.

Atelier100 has previously joined up with the artistic neighborhood around London by cataloguing far more than 200 corporations that are designing and manufacturing merchandise this kind of as fashion and furnishings and the components utilized to build them.

The venture is now attempting to distribute the net wider with posters in London neighbourhoods as very well as a digital campaign.

“Instead of having regarded routes we needed to take a look at new ways to come across creatives, new elements and modest-scale producers existing right here in London,” said Henriksson. “We see this as the start off of a really remarkable adventure. London is bursting with amazing tips and artistic persons, we want to fulfill these creators where by they are.

“Opportunities in arts, enjoyment and recreation have been the toughest strike by the pandemic. H&M and Ingka Team see this as an chance to have interaction immediately with creatives and makers, to give them the visibility that they are worthy of and to assist them in taking their company to the next stage.”