First look inside 'little Ikea' store opening in Leamington Spa with huge giveaways

It's the Nordic retailer planning a full-on invasion of British high streets. Founded in Denmark in 1973 by husband and wife Inger Grene and Knud Cresten Vaupell Olsen, Søstrene Grene operates in more than 275 locations around the world and is now expanding its UK footprint.

As part of its growth, the brand, which sells homeware and furniture designed in typical minimalist Scandinavian style - a little like its larger Swedish cousin Ikea - is opening a store in Leamington Spa. To mark Friday's launch, Søstrene Grene is giving away a large tufted rug worth £60 and a canvas goodie bag to the first 100 customers who visit the shop after it opens in Royal Priors Shopping Centre at 10am.

Norma Jacob and Richard Power run Søstrene Grene stores across the south of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and are looking forward to opening the new site in Leamington. Norma said: "The Søstrene Grene in-store experience is truly unique, providing a relaxing shopping experience where customers can browse the diverse and affordable product range.

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"As we continue to expand throughout the UK, we look forward to seeing more customers enjoy our exciting products." Richard is 'very excited' to be opening Søstrene Grene's first store in Warwickshire. "Royal Leamington Spa is a beautiful location and we very much look forward to meeting local residents at our grand opening," he said.

Customers can expect 'minimalist Scandinavian designs at affordable prices', within a trademark labyrinth layout designed to 'create a more interesting and free-flowing shopping experience', bosses say. The brand, which has been nicknamed 'little Ikea', is said to draw on the concept of ‘hygge’, the notion of creating a warm and cosy environment which Denmark credits to making its people the world's happiest.

Instead of operating in large out-of-town retail parks, Søstrene Grene has earmarked smaller stores on or linked to the high street. It will offer weekly new drops on interiors, craft and hobby items and lifestyle products. The Leamington store will also stock kitchen and bathroom accessories, gifts, stationary, children's items and toys.

And to mark its 50th birthday the brand has launched its own anniversary collection. Mikkel Grene, CEO and co-owner of Søstrene Grene, said: "Our new Leamington Spa store is opening at a very exciting time for us, following our recent 50th anniversary and plans to expand further across the UK.

"We can’t wait to see the reaction of locals to Leamington Spa as we share the wonderful world of Søstrene Grene." To find out more about Søstrene Grene, visit their webshop or follow them on Instagram @sostrenegrene

See for yourself what the new Leamington shop will look like in the images below: