Czech branches of IKEA to shorten operating hours

IKEA stores in the Czech Republic will be open two fewer hours as of August, the company has announced via social media. The popular Swedish furniture brand's Czech branches are currently open for twelve hours a day, but that will go down to ten hours as of next month.

From August 1, Czech IKEA stores will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. instead of the current 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. hours. Local branches of IKEA include two Prague locations (in Černý Most and Zličín) and stores in Brno and Ostrava.

The company cites a decrease in visitors following the pandemic as the reason for the change. While the company hasn't reported a downturn in sales, more and more customers have purchased through IKEA's online e-shop over the past two years, with fewer customers visiting the brick-and-mortar stores in person.

"During the pandemic, customers got used to shopping online and there is still a lot of interest in it today," IKEA Czech Republic spokesperson Petr Šašek tells iDnes.cz.

"The number of visitors to our department stores decreased in the morning and evening hours, which is why we decided to adjust the opening hours in all three countries in the region - in addition to the Czech Republic, also in Slovakia and Hungary."

In addition to the new opening hours, IKEA's popular restaurants within its stores will also be open for a shorter window. From August 1, you can sample IKEA's classic meatballs and other Swedish goodies from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

IKEA's customer service center will also reduce its operating hours, to 8:30 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. from the current 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. window. The company says a new 24-hour online chatbot will help solve many customer's inquiries.

"The chatbot works automatically, uses an extensive database of questions and answers, and can therefore answer the questions that customers most frequently contact us with," says Šašek.

Operating hours for other IKEA services in the Czech Republic, including planning studios, delivery services, and collection points, will remain unchanged. While the company has shortened the opening hours of its brick-and-mortar stores, it will expand services elsewhere.

"Capacities for remote planning, consultations, solving problems with orders, or complaints will also be increased," explains Šašek.

"All of this will allow us to adjust our operating hours, which reflects when the customer center is most utilized. At the same time, we are recruiting dozens of new employees to the customer center."