IKEA is officially moving to Dartford after it was revealed they are behind a deal to secure a 450,000 sq ft ‘powerhouse’, but the unit will sadly not be a customer-facing store.
The Swedish giants have confirmed they have signed a 15-year lease with developers on a pre-let agreement for the massive warehouse, located at the former Littlebrook Power Station site on the south bank of the River Thames.
They will be joining Amazon at the site after they recently moved into a 2.3 million sq ft ‘Mega Box’ distribution centre right next door, with the entire park undergoing fierce redevelopment to become a “critical last journey location inside the M25.”
However, IKEA will not be opening a new store for customers as part of the plans, instead developing a massive new distribution centre which will “meet our customers wherever and whenever they need us.”
The distribution centre in Dartford is set to serve IKEA’s stores across the UK and south east – including Greenwich, Croydon and Lakeside.
A spokesperson for IKEA said they were “delighted to confirm” they would be moving into a unit at The Power House project in Dartford.
“This exciting investment forms part of our ongoing transformation to become even more affordable, accessible and sustainable, accelerating our omnichannel approach to meet our customers wherever and whenever they need us, irrespective of where they live or whether they visit us in-store or online.”
The ‘450@thepowerhouse’ unit is currently under construction, and it is not yet know when the site will be opening or how many jobs will be created.
Adjacent to the IKEA site, Amazon have just moved into their own distribution centre at the old Littlebrook power station site, a vast £200 million build on a 45-acre plot of land.
The move is part of an expansion for the retail titans, with around 1,3000 new jobs created locally in a welcome boost for the area. Workers are even being offered a £1,000 starting bonus amid worker struggles.
With IKEA and Amazon m the former Littlebrook power station next to the Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing,
The impressive unit in Dartford has been pre-let to IKEA by Bericote and Titrax Big Box who are leading the major regeneration of the area located adjacent to the QE2 Bridge and Dartford Tunnel on the south bank of the Thames.
Titrax Big Box say the location will mean it’s project, a “rare asset so close to the heart of London,” will benefit from “exceptional transport connectivity via motorway, rail and water, excellent infrastructure, significant power provision and a robust labour market.”
Jonathan Maher, development director at Bericote, said: “This letting underpins Bericote’s ongoing commitment to creating highly specified, modern and adaptable industrial and logistics solutions in strategic locations across the UK.
“The pre-letting during construction of this speculative development underlines the strength of the market and the very attractive attributes of the site and we look forward to repeating the same success for the next phase of the development.”
Charlie Withers, director of development for Tritax Management, added: “Securing a 15-year letting at thepowerhouse to another high quality occupier, further validates our strategic focus on development.
“The new tenant, will join Amazon at what is becoming the preeminent logistics location in the UK’s South East.”
Plans were submitted in June for the third phase of the project, and developers of the park also say they have allocated 30% of the overall Littlebrook site for permanent open space and habitat creation for wildlife.
IKEA added: “As we continue to step up our sustainability commitments, guided by our established strategy to become People & Planet Positive by 2030, we were also attracted by the site’s significant biodiversity enhancement and habitat creation plans, which have informed the UK Green Building Council’s Nature Based Solutions best practice guidance for the industry.”
