British furniture retailer Habitat has announced that it will be closing two of its London locations at the start of next year, including its global flagship on Tottenham Court Road.
Opened by Habitat's founder Terrance Conran in 1966, the location epitomised his resolve to turn the brand into a widely-available design chain and grew into "possibly its best-known store", with everyone from IKEA to Muji setting up shop nearby.
Store "provided inspiration to millions of people"
A representative for parent company Sainsbury's, which bought Habitat in 2016, cited consumer's increasing preference for online shopping as the reason for the closure.
"Over the years the store has provided inspiration to millions of people," they explained. "But as the retail market continues to change it's important we adapt and focus investment in the right way so that we can meet our customers' needs as they increasingly want to shop with us online." Although Habitat was a pioneer of modern design, ushering everything from duvets to woks and flat-pack furniture into British homes, the company has struggled financially since Conran was resigned in the late 1980s.

After a number of mergers and acquisitions, all but its three central London stores were put into administration in 2011, with what was left of the brand sold to the Home Retail Group.
"Habitat has been in the wrong ownership for many years," the company's one-time creative director Tom Di...