IKEA stores open doors as cooling shelters during France heatwave

Amid France's third major heatwave, IKEA transformed its 37 French outlets into temporary cooling refuges under the "Escales fraîcheur" scheme. Coordinated by the retail association Perifem, the program allows any person to enter the air‑conditioned showrooms, lounges and restaurant areas without making a purchase, with free drinking water provided. Hundreds of visitors, especially in the Paris region, have taken advantage of the cool spaces, sitting on sofas and in chairs to escape the soaring temperatures.

The initiative, first launched in late June and renewed in early July, is part of a broader effort by retailers such as Carrefour, Coopérative U, Altarea Commerce and B&M to offer relief to vulnerable people during extreme heat warnings.