IKEA and Decathlon have teamed up for a very unexpected London store

There are two certainties in life. One, you will go into IKEA for “just one thing”. Two, you will emerge three hours later, emotionally changed and holding a plant you don't remember picking up.

Now imagine that, but with sports equipment thrown into the mix.

South London’s IKEA Croydon is about to become the first store of its kind, thanks to a new partnership with Decathlon. The result is a hybrid shop that basically lets you buy a wardrobe, a kayak and a plate of meatballs in one trip.

Opening on the 24th of April, the Decathlon space will take up more than 1,100 square metres inside the already massive IKEA site. It’ll stock over 5,000 items, covering everything from running and swimming to climbing, cycling, and sports you forgot existed, like pétanque.

Crucially, it also has its own entrance. This is big news for anyone who has ever stepped into IKEA and immediately lost all sense of direction and time. If you just want a pair of trainers or a yoga mat, you can now bypass the maze of identical kitchens and suspiciously calm living rooms.

For everyone else, it does raise some questions. Chief among them is whether adding more stuff to IKEA will make the experience better, or simply increase the odds of you getting trapped somewhere between lighting and soft furnishings.

Still, there are perks. The new space will include Decathlon’s buy-back scheme, meaning you can trade in old gear for store credit. So, you could declutter and accidentally reclutter in the same visit.

There’s also a bit of fanfare for opening weekend. The first 100 customers through the doors on both Friday and Saturday mornings will get a free Quechua backpack, and Friday shoppers will also receive a £20 voucher.

On Saturday, things get a bit more lively. The storefront is being turned into a mini playground, with a climbing wall, family activities, DJs and a “Spin to Win” setup offering prizes throughout the day. Which is not something you usually associate with buying a bedside table, but here we are.

The Croydon store is being treated as a test run for the partnership, so if it goes well, this kind of IKEA-Decathlon crossover could roll out elsewhere.

For now though, it’s a South London experiment. One where you can go in for a desk lamp and come out with hiking gear, a hot dog and the vague feeling you took a wrong turn somewhere around hour two.

The big day begins at 11am on Friday, the 24th of April at Ikea Croydon, Valley Retail Park, Purley Way, Croydon CR0 4UZ.

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