IKEA has confirmed it will shut its first large UK store.

The Swedish retail chain confirmed it will shut its Coventry store after first arriving in the country 33 years ago.

The company said it will close the doors of its £35 million Coventry branch, which opened at Christmas in 2007, with 352 workers expected to lose their jobs.

The Swedish furniture and home improvement giant added the site in the city centre was too expensive to keep operating and had lost customers to retail parks and online shopping.

In a statement, Ikea said: "The store was built over seven levels, which resulted in a significant impact on the operating costs of the store and the shopping experience for customers.

"In addition, the changing behaviour of customers in the area who prefer to shop in retail parks and online has resulted in visitor numbers being substantially lower than expected and continuing to decrease over time.

"These factors have led to the store making consistent losses."

The company said it tried a number of initiatives to keep the store open but "these have not resolved the fundamental challenges connected to the location and the format of the store".

The European multinational has 433 stores worldwide, with 18 in the UK, and employs around 21,000 people.

It has sites in Warrington and Ashton-under-Lyne.

What ever happened to the suggestions of an IKEA in York?

In 2018 York business bosses approached companies including Ikea as part of a bid to attract more retailers to the city.

A council report said destination management organisation Make It York contacted bosses at leading brands to promote the city.

A dedicated task group was working to tempt brands to consider opening stores in York. And as part of their efforts they approached more than 80 companies to explain why their brand could succeed in the city.

But days later an IKEA spokesman said the company was not considering York as a potential location at the time.

READ MORE: Plan to promote York to new retailers including Ikea