IKEA scraps plans for new south coast store
The Swedish furniture giant has blamed a "fast-changing retail environment" for the decision
IKEA has abandoned plans to build its first store in Sussex, blaming changing "customer shopping habits".
The Swedish furniture giant was granted planning permission for a store at New Monks Farm in Lancing in 2016.
The company said the retail market had evolved considerably since then and more people are shopping online.
Richard Rands, market expansion manager at IKEA UK and Ireland, said: "This has not been an easy decision to make.
"Today, we are operating in an incredibly fast-changing retail environment and customer shopping habits aren’t as they once were.
"Although we know that there is great potential in Sussex, we no longer believe that an IKEA store on the outskirts of Lancing is the optimum way to reach customers in the region.
"We understand this news may disappoint some but we will continue to serve customers in Lancing and the wider area in the best possible way, through both our online offer and home delivery service, as well as our remote selling and planning facilities."
The company said the land in Lancing would be advertised for sale.