Habitat Brighton

Artist’s impression of the Brighton store, due to open in October

Habitat is opening two new standalone stores this autumn, one in White City’s Westfield London followed by another in Brighton’s city centre.

The 4,700 sq ft Westfield London store, due to open in September, will be part of the shopping centre’s £600m expansion, while the Brighton branch, set to open in October, will be a component of the area’s Hanningtons Estate redevelopment in the Lanes shopping district.

Habitat said the stores’ locations had been “carefully chosen” to meet different customer shopping missions. The new London store will bring a number of furniture and home brands together. The two-floor 6,500 sq ft Brighton store, meanwhile, will showcase about 3,000 Habitat products.

Sainsbury’s, which acquired interiors brand Habitat in September 2016, has invested £1.5m in the standalone stores, marking the first major investment in Habitat’s store portfolio for a decade. The retailer said the move came as customers “increasingly want the choice of shopping in stores or online” in a way that suited them.

“Stores are an important part of our growth strategy as we know that our customers love to be inspired by our furniture and furnishings in immersive store settings, so we’re thrilled that these launches will bring us to key locations in Brighton and Westfield London where we have a lot of Habitat fans,” said Clare Askem, MD of Habitat. “As our digital business has grown, there has also been a real desire from customers to see Habitat on the high street.

“By investing for the future of the brand in this way, as well as continuing to differentiate ourselves with modern, statement design from our in-house Habitat Design Studio, we’re well placed to continue our heritage of bringing well designed, inventive and affordable products to people’s homes.”