The community hub in Greenwich’s Ikea has been taken over by a high-end co-working operator after being unused for more than three years.
But the Swedish furniture chain has said that community groups are still welcome to use the space on the top floor of the store, which opened six years ago on Friday.
The store faced opposition from neighbours because of fears that it would increase traffic in an already-congested area, and because it would replace an “eco-friendly” Sainsbury’s store that had only opened in 1999. However, it was approved by Greenwich Council in March 2014, with Sainsbury’s moving a short distance away to Charlton.
When Ikea opened in February 2019, it was billed as “the world’s most sustainable Ikea” with a roof pavilion and garden on the upper floor. “Customer and co-worker wellness is prioritised, with plentiful plants throughout and yoga and meditation classes for all to enjoy,” Ikea said at the time.
The store also teamed up with the Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency (GCDA) to hold community events.
But the space was little used after the pandemic and Ikea said that it had sat empty for three and a half years because of a lack of bookings, while the GCDA partnership ended amicably. There was no obligation to keep the space in the planning agreement signed with Greenwich.
Now it will be the first UK branch of Hej!Workshop, a co-working space where desks are available to hire for £25 per day or £150 per month. The first Hej!Workshop opened in San Francisco last year and other branches followed in Stockholm and Paris. It is owned by Ingka Centres, an Ikea sister company.
Co-working spaces are aimed at people based from home or away from their office who are looking for space to work. Many also offer the chance to network with other professionals.
Hey!Workshop customers can take advantage of Ikea’s free parking and two-hour free childcare as well as unlimited tea and coffee and complimentary breakfasts.The furnishings and furniture are all from Ikea.
While there are few co-working options nearby, Hej!Workshop’s day rate is more expensive than other dedicated spaces in the area – Design District next to North Greenwich station is £20 plus VAT while Workers’ League in Blackheath Village is £18 per day with part-day discounts and offers for regular users.
Elsewhere, Woolwich Works charges £10-£16 per day for the use of its bar, while the Albany in Deptford offers creative workers space for £8.50 a day if they pay a £35 annual membership fee. The cheapest of all is Ikea’s own café, which has free workspaces and power points.
An Ikea spokesperson said the company was “confident that we offer great value to the local community” and added that the space would still be available for community uses.
“The pavilion above the store itself hadn’t been used as community space for the past three and a half years,” they said. “This was mainly due to restrictions during the Covid pandemic but also a lack of enquiries into using the space for meetings or events. That is why the team at Hej!Workshop have co-created this co-working space with Ikea Greenwich and are excited for it to be used by the local community.
“We are already reaching out to local business networks, startups, the university and working-mum groups to offer our space as a local hub. We are open to any and all suggestions for community events, that is why we are here.”
The spokesperson said interested groups could contact greenwich[at]hejworkshop.com.
If Hej!Workshop is a success it could have hundreds more customers on its doorstep in the coming years. Last year plans from the retail park’s owner for 1,200 homes on top of Ikea’s car park were revived after being initially withdrawn because of “spiralling” costs.
Update, April 13: Since we published this story on February 7, the day rate at Hej!Workshop has been cut from £25 to £16.20.
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