An IKEA right in the heart of London's West End? It's an idea that actually is kind of groundbreaking.
But according to The Guardian, the Swedish design giants are poised to take over Topshop's former flagship store on London's Oxford Street.
If the reported deal goes through, it would give IKEA its first-city centre location in the British capital. It currently has London outlets in Croydon (south west), Edmonton (north east), Greenwich (south east) and Wembley (north west).
The massive, 90,000-square-foot Grade II listed building on the junction of Oxford Street and Regent Street was occupied by Topshop from 1994 until its parent company, Arcadia, collapsed into administration last November.
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It's a store that millennials in particular will have fond memories of. Visiting 'Big Topshop' became a rite-of-passage back in the day as the chain underlined its fashion-forward credentials by collaborating with icons like Kate Moss and Beyoncé. Since Arcadia went into administration, the Topshop brand has been taken over by online fashion giants ASOS.
However, IKEA's reported Oxford Street store might not operate in the same way as a typical outlet. According to The Times, because the lack of parking would make it difficult for customers to take home bulky items, it could serve as more of a showroom for home delivery orders.
The takeover isn't confirmed yet, either. A spokesperson for IKEA said coyly that the chain is "constantly looking for new ways to better meet our customers’ needs. This includes investing in our online offer, rebuilding and adapting existing IKEA stores and exploring different formats and locations as part of a new city centre approach. We review our expansion strategy on an ongoing basis, but have no plans to share at this time."
So for now, we'll just have to watch this space.