IKEA 24/7 pick-up lockers plan for Newcastle Road Tesco Extra car park in Sunderland

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received an application for part of the Tesco Extra supermarket car park off Newcastle Road.

This includes plans for self-serve ‘pick-up lockers’ in the rear of the supermarket’s car park, close to the Stadium of Light Metro Station.

Sunderland shoppers could soon be able to pick up online IKEA orders from the site, with plans submitted for both the locker units and associated illuminated signs.

According to IKEA’s website, the pick-up lockers are linked to a partnership between retail giants IKEA and Tesco and were first trialled at the Peterborough Werrington Superstore, followed by other sites.

The automated pick-up lockers allow customers to be able to pick up a “wide range of IKEA products, from home accessories and homewares to furniture”, with larger orders able to be split across multiple lockers.

An announcement on IKEA’s website in August, 2024, said the pick-up lockers “build on the existing partnership between IKEA and Tesco, which has seen over 100 mobile pick-up points launch at Tesco stores across the UK”.

It was noted that a “further 100 pick-up points” were planned to launch, with a number due to open in 2024.

An IKEA statement said existing “mobile pick-up points allow products to be collected during two daily time windows” but that with new pick-up lockers, “items can be picked up at any time, providing more flexibility and improved accessibility for customers.”

Simon Williams, Tesco’s assets and estates director, speaking in August, 2024, said “IKEA-manned click and collect points are already widely used with almost 100 in operation right across the UK”.

“We hope that these convenient and forward-thinking new automated lockers are just as well received”, he added.

A decision on the IKEA pick-up lockers on Wearside is expected later this year following a council consultation exercise.

For more information on the plan, or to track its progress, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 25/01490/FUL