# Furniture Brand Pop-Up Shops Toronto's IKEA Play Café is an Immersive Retail Experience By Ell Smith | Published 2017-06-22 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-play-cafe References: [indie88](http://indie88.com/ikea-pop-up-cafe-and-store-to-open-on-queen-west/) & [insidetoronto](https://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/7380240-ikea-play-cafe-adds-more-fun-and-swedish-meatballs-to-downtown-toronto/) Furniture industry titan [IKEA](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-house-warming) brought its Sweedish charm to Toronto's Queen Street West in the form of IKEA Play Café, an [immersive pop-up shop experience](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/knix-popup). Similar to its retail stores, the pop-up shop rests on IKEA's three pillars: shop, play and eat. Guests are invited to browse through the largely food and cooking-centered retail store, while challenging their taste buds at the small eatery which sells some of IKEA's [iconic foods](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-restaurant), like their meat balls and frozen yogurt. Guests are welcome to immerse themselves in the IKEA experience with a variety of games including over-sized Pin-Ball, electronic dance battles, an illuminated wall modified with children's drink ware and a spinning wheel, which offers contestants chocolates and gift cards. The IKEA Play Café, which aimed to start conversations through defying conventions, acts more like an immersive experience than a showroom, reminding guests of IKEA's core values and consumer commitment while providing a memorable, gamified retail experience. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.8/10 - Popularity: 98% | Activity: 97% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [Retail](https://www.trendhunter.com/retail) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Immersive Retail Experience:** Opportunity for brands to create interactive, gamified retail spaces that provide a memorable shopping experience beyond just selling products. - **Pop-up Shop Trend:** Rising trend of brands utilizing pop-up shops to test new markets and expand their customer base in a more cost-effective way. - **In-store Food and Beverage Offerings:** Growing trend of retailers integrating food and beverage offerings into the shopping experience to provide additional value and a more immersive experience. ### Who This Affects Most - **Furniture:** Furniture retailers can use pop-up shops to expand their market reach and create gamified retail spaces that showcase their products while providing a memorable and interactive experience. - **Retail:** Retailers across industries can utilize the pop-up shop trend to test new markets and create immersive retail experiences that go beyond traditional brick-and-mortar shopping. - **Food and Beverage:** Food and beverage brands can partner with retailers to offer their products in-store and create unique dining experiences that complement the shopping experience. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Swedish-Style Kitchen Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-house-warming.md) - [Virtual Furniture Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/welcome-to-bloxburg.md) - [In-Store Food Concepts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikeas.md) - [Experiential Play Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-open-house-miami.md) - [Secret Sleep Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-sleepeasy.md) - [Reusable Bag Pop-Up Shops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-hus-of-frakta.md) - [Furniture Retailer Pop-Up Shops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-popup-store.md) - [Compact In-Retail Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-shopin.md) - [Workplace-Integrated Store Locations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hejworkshop.md)