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A giant stuffed shark toy, a desk lamp or a plate of meatballs and gravy – there are very few things you can’t buy at Ikea. And now, thanks to a somewhat surprising collab, sports gear can be added to its long, long list of goods.
Yep, the DIY mecca’s Croydon outpost has joined forces with sports chain Decathlon to supersize its offering. The French chain sells equipment and clothing for everything from mainstream racket and ball sports to swimming, running, surfing, fishing, horse riding, mountaineering, ice-skating, skiing, even archery and pétanque. Fair enough, who wouldn’t want to tick a pair of galoshes and a bathroom bin off the shopping list in one fell swoop?
The new Decathlon, which opens on Friday (April 24), will cover 1,188 square metres of space inside the 25,000-square-metre Croydon Ikea. It’ll offer more than 5,000 products and even has its own entrance, in case you want to avoid having to worm your way through the Swedish home store’s maze of display rooms to get to the athletic goods.
The new space will also feature Decathlon’s buy back scheme, so you can trade in pre-loved gear for store credit.
The Croydon shop-within-a-shop is the first pilot of a partnership between the two companies, meaning that if it’s successful, we could see more Decathlon/Ikea hybrids in the future.
As for how they're marking the marriage, the first 100 customers through the doors on Friday and Saturday mornings will get a free Quechua NH100 10L backpack. On Friday, visitors will also score a £20 gift voucher.
Plus, as a Saturday special, Decathlon is transforming its storefront into a mini playground. Expect free family activities including a climbing wall, face painting and DJs spinning the decks throughout the day. Plenty of prizes will be up for grabs through sporty challenges, as well as a ‘Spin to Win’ wheel running throughout the day.
Celebrations will start at 11am on Friday, April 24 at Ikea Croydon, Valley Retail Park, Purley Way, Croydon CR0 4UZ.
Did you see that this southwest London neighbourhood is getting a new Sports Direct store?
Plus: the century-old American cookie shop that is finally opening its first London location.
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