SPECULATION is growing that the Swedish retailer Ikea is eyeing up Ashford as a location for a new store.

The prospect of a move by the furniture giant to establish a store in the county has been the subject of rumours for months.

If it happened, it could create several hundred jobs.

While the company refused to be drawn on specific areas where it was interested in opening stores, a spokesman confirmed this week that the company was in discussion with 'several councils’ over potential sites.

Meanwhile, Ashford council added to the speculation when it declined to say whether it had held any meetings with Ikea about building a store in the area.

It responded to a request we submitted under the Freedom of Information Act by refusing to confirm or deny whether any talks between the two had been held.

While the company has established its reputation through its huge out-of-town superstores, earlier this year, it announced a change in policy.

The company said it intended to focus on building stores that meant customers would not have to travel so far. For customers in Kent, the nearest stores are at Croydon and Lakeside in Essex.

Its research has shown that about a third of its customers spend at least two hours travelling to its stores.

The company’s policy shift has also been prompted by the difficulties of getting planning permission for massive stores because of changes in Government planning policy.

Local business representatives said Ikea could bring several hundred jobs to the area as well as a boost to the Kent economy.

Jo James, vice chairman of the Ashford Chamber of Commerce, said: “When you look at the [Government’s] growth agenda for Ashford, it would make sense and would be good for them but also good for shoppers.”

Typically, an Ikea store creates between four and five hundred jobs.

A leading retail expert has predicted it is a question of when not if in relation to a new IKEA store.

Dr Fragkiskos Filippaios, a lecturer in International Business and the deputy director of the MBA Programme at Kent Business School at the University of Kent, said: “If you consider Ashford’s strategic location between London and Dover, it could attract customers not just from London but France.

"With increasing income levels, the growth in population and more Londoners moving out to the south east, it would be a surprise if in the next couple of years we did not see an IKEA outlet in the region.”

He added: “What IKEA sells is a lifestyle culture and since Ashford is an area under so much development and will be a place where there are a lot more commuters, Ashford is the obvious choice.”

He predicted Ashford council would be keen to see a store because of its capacity to boost the economy.

However, it would need to consider carefully the environmental impact and the huge number of customers who would come from outside the immediate area. “That being said, it would be mainly positive and would be a significant jobs boost for the town.”