- Ikea is closing its Harajuku and Shinjuku branches in Tokyo next month.
- The smaller, downtown Tokyo stores failed to capture the appeal of larger, suburban Ikea stores.
- Despite the closures, Ikea will keep its Shibuya branch open and continues to explore smaller store formats.

A: Did you hear about the news? Ikea is closing some stores!
B: No! Seriously? Which ones?

A: The Harajuku and Shinjuku branches. They’re closing next month!
B: Wow, that's surprising. I thought they were doing well.

A: Yeah, they opened them a few years ago, remember? Right in the middle of the pandemic.
B: Oh yeah, I do! It was a gamble, right? To open stores in such busy areas then.

A: Exactly! They were smaller than the usual Ikea stores. More for small apartments.
B: I see. So, not the full Ikea experience? No big cafeteria or anything?

A: Nope! Harajuku even had a convenience store instead. People love the big, fun Ikea days, you know?
B: That's true. It’s kind of a whole outing!

A: Right? Plus, rent is super expensive in those areas! They needed to sell a *lot* to make it work.
B: Makes sense. It’s tough to compete with the usual suburban Ikea stores.

A: They're not closing everything, though. The Shibuya store is staying open.
B: Oh, that's good! Maybe they learned something from this. Three Ikeas so close together... that's a lot!
A: Totally! It might have confused people.



B: So, February 8th is the last day?
A: Yep! February 1st is the last day to pick up pre-orders.