Ikea to reopen next Monday in Milton Keynes

The furniture giant is urging people to shop alone if possible, and only bring one other member from their household if there is no other choice.

Ikea closed all of its stores in the UK on March 20, the day before official coronavirus lockdown.

They will be opening with enhanced cleaning and safety precautions, and social distancing rules will be enforced.

Long queues are expected but there will be a queuing system outside to manage entry into the store.

Only cashless payments will be accepted to reduce contact between workers and customers. Hand sanitisers will be in place across the store, along with protective screens at checkouts, and restaurants and play areas will be closed.

The store will also be operating on slightly reduced opening hours. It will open from Monday to Saturday between 10am and 8pm and on Sundays between 11am and 5pm.

A spokesman said: "To ensure a safe shopping experience we ask that, if you can, please shop alone."Only bring one other person from the same household, if you need special assistance or if you need to bring your children with you."

Ikea has operated online shopping during lockdown but demand has been huge and many orders have taken up to six weeks to be delivered.