IKEA-Town: The City and the Retail Destination Part 1 Dissertation 2008 Victoria Simpson University of Edinburgh Edinburgh | UK This study, inspired by a visit to Coventry whilst construction on the city's new IKEA store was underway, addresses the notion of place and identity in modernity with specific reference to the new store itself. The development is the first of its kind in the UK and poses important questions about the effect of such a prolific and globally dominant brand upon the identity and stability of a place. The intention of this dissertation is to establish how 'placefulness' and place identity are formed and how they may be undermined to the detriment of the city. Following a narrative-like sequence alluding to the process of visiting an IKEA store, this study considers the arrival of the global retail destination, how it may be recognised and categorised, how the destination and place are consumed and, finally, what happens when it is 'time to leave'.Ultimately, this dissertation suggests that retail destinations, and most particularly the unique variety that is the city-centre IKEA, engender practices and activities akin to a form of 'retail tourism', which serve to destabilise notions of place and inherently affect the formation of individual and collective place identity. Tutor(s)Dr Mark Dorrian