Habitat To Close London Flagship Store

The flagship Habitat store on London's Tottenham Court Road is to close after more than fifty years of trading.

The Finchley Road store will also close early next year, leaving Habitat with 11 concessions within Sainsbury's and three standalone stores in Bright, Leeds and west London which will be used as furniture showrooms.

Sainsbury's, which now owns the brand, has said that it is expanding its ambition for Habitat and intends for it to become the main home and furniture brand in Argos and Sainsbury's.  Smaller, cheaper items such as cushions and vases from the Habitat range will be introduced to supermarkets while larger pieces including sofas, rugs and furniture will be sold online.

Simon Roberts, the CEO of Sainsbury's, said: "We want to bring it to millions of new customers. We'll really open up Habitat and make it relevant and accessible to more customers."

He added: "Over the years the [Tottenham Court Road] store has provided inspiration to millions, but as the retail market continues to change it's important we adapt and focus investment so we can meet our customers' needs as they increasingly want to shop with us online."

At the start of November, Sainsbury's confirmed its intention to close around 420 of its 518  standalone Argos stores.

Source : Insight DIY Team

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