Livat Hammersmith
Livat Hammersmith is a mixed-use retail, residential and office complex in Hammersmith, London, operated by Ingka Centres.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Livat Hammersmith is a mixed-use complex beside King Street in Hammersmith, west London. It combines a shopping centre with residential accommodation, offices, parking and connections to the surrounding town centre. The property was originally developed as Kings Mall by St Martins Property Group and officially opened on 3 April 1979. Its design is associated with architect Richard Seifert, while the wider development incorporated housing above the retail floors, office buildings and a large multi-storey car park. The original complex occupied a roughly five-acre site divided by railway infrastructure. Its southern section contained the principal shopping centre, the Ashcroft Square housing estate and one office building, while the northern section accommodated the car park and another office building. A covered footbridge connected the two parts across the railway lines. The retail component was designed to serve both local residents and the wider Hammersmith catchment, with access from King Street and nearby Underground stations. Ownership changed during the 2010s. St Martins Property Group sold Kings Mall to Matterhorn Capital in 2011, and Matterhorn subsequently sold the shopping centre to Schroders in 2015. During this period, parts of the original estate were redeveloped. The former car park and West 45 office building were removed, and a replacement mixed-use scheme known as Sovereign Court introduced new apartments, commercial space and a smaller public car park. Ashcroft Square, the older residential estate located above the shopping centre, remained part of the complex. The centre underwent a major refurbishment from the late 2010s. Work included changes to the external access arrangements for the flats and a substantial renewal of the internal retail environment. In January 2020, Ingka Centres, the property and meeting-place division of INGKA Holding, acquired the centre. The property was then repositioned under the Livat concept, which is associated with Ingka Centres' approach to combining retail, food, services, community activity and public gathering spaces. The Hammersmith site became the first Livat centre outside China. Following a reported major redevelopment investment, Livat Hammersmith reopened under its new identity on 4 February 2022. IKEA became a principal anchor, alongside Primark and Sainsbury's. The centre therefore combines conventional shopping-centre functions with an IKEA-led destination format and a broader place-making proposition. Its facilities continue to include a public car park, residential buildings and office accommodation, including One Lyric Square. The property is served by Hammersmith's Underground stations, bus routes and local road connections. Livat Hammersmith is best understood as a location-based property and destination brand rather than as a standalone consumer-goods company. Its offer is the management and programming of a mixed-use urban destination: retail units, food and everyday services, IKEA, residential accommodation, offices, parking and public-facing spaces. The centre's current positioning reflects Ingka Centres' effort to make shopping locations function as places to meet and spend time, while retaining the convenience and commercial role of a town-centre shopping complex.
History
Livat Hammersmith originated as Kings Mall, a mixed-use development near King Street in Hammersmith. The project was designed by Richard Seifert and developed by St Martins Property Group. Residential apartments above the retail area were constructed in 1973, while the shopping centre officially opened on 3 April 1979. The original development included a large 950-space car park and two office buildings constructed during the 1970s. The five-acre site was arranged on both sides of railway infrastructure. The main retail and residential section lay south of the Hammersmith & City line, between Lyric Square and Leamore Street. The northern section, reached by a covered footbridge, contained the principal car park and another office building. This arrangement enabled the centre to operate as part of Hammersmith town centre while accommodating housing, employment space and vehicle access within the same development. Ashcroft Square formed the original residential element above the shopping centre. It consists of seven blocks arranged around a courtyard and was developed as local-authority housing. The apartments were leased to Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council under full repairing and insuring arrangements. The complex also included One Lyric Square, a 14-storey office building providing approximately 100,656 square feet of accommodation. West 45, another office building on the northern part of the site, was later demolished. The ownership and physical form of Kings Mall changed substantially during the 2010s. St Martins Property Group sold the centre to Matterhorn Capital in 2011. Matterhorn sold it to Schroders in 2015. Redevelopment plans replaced the original northern car park and West 45 office building with Sovereign Court, a residential-led scheme developed by St George, part of Berkeley Group Holdings. The replacement development included a smaller public car park, new commercial space and 418 apartments, with residential parking and cycle facilities. Sovereign Court was completed in 2019. A wider refurbishment of the shopping centre was underway by 2019. The works addressed the internal shopping arcade and the external stair arrangements serving the flats above the retail entrances. In January 2020, Ingka Centres, a division of INGKA Holding, acquired the property. Ingka Centres planned a reported £170 million transformation intended to create a broader destination and meeting place rather than a conventional shopping centre. The project also introduced an IKEA store occupying a substantial part of the complex. The centre reopened as Livat Hammersmith on 4 February 2022. It became the first Livat centre outside China and joined Ingka Centres' wider portfolio of locations built around retail, food, services and community use. IKEA, Primark and Sainsbury's serve as principal retail anchors. The wider complex continues to incorporate Ashcroft Square, Sovereign Court, One Lyric Square and the public car park. Transport remains important to the site's role. The centre is within walking distance of Hammersmith Broadway station, served by the Piccadilly and District lines, and the separate Hammersmith station served by the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. Local bus services stop near the centre, while the car park is accessed from the Glenthorne Road side of the development. Livat Hammersmith consequently functions as both a shopping destination and a component of the wider Hammersmith urban centre.
- 2022
Livat Hammersmith opens
[1]The redeveloped destination reopened under the Livat name on 4 February 2022, including a new IKEA store.
- 2020
Ingka Centres acquires Kings Mall
[1]Ingka Centres acquired the property and initiated its repositioning under the Livat concept.
- 2019
Sovereign Court and centre refurbishment
[1]The Sovereign Court residential development was completed, while the shopping centre underwent a major refurbishment.
- 2015
Ownership transfers to Schroders
[1]Matterhorn Capital sold the shopping centre to Schroders.
- 2014
West 45 is demolished
[1]The former office building was removed to enable the Sovereign Court redevelopment.
- 2011
Ownership transfers to Matterhorn Capital
[1]St Martins Property Group sold Kings Mall to Matterhorn Capital.
- 1979
Kings Mall officially opens
[1]The shopping centre officially opened on 3 April 1979 in a development designed by Richard Seifert and developed by St Martins Property Group.
- 1973
Residential apartments constructed
[1]The residential accommodation later known as Ashcroft Square was built above the planned shopping-centre development.
Products and positioning
A mixed-use urban meeting place that combines shopping, home furnishing, food and services with residential, office and transport-oriented facilities.
Retail property · 1979
Shopping centre
The core retail component of Livat Hammersmith provides a range of shops, food and services within a refurbished shopping arcade. Its principal anchors include IKEA, Primark and Sainsbury's, combining home furnishing, fashion and grocery uses in a local town-centre destination.
Home-furnishing retail · 2022
IKEA Hammersmith
IKEA Hammersmith is the major new anchor introduced through the Livat redevelopment. It extends Ingka's home-furnishing offer into the central-west London location and forms a substantial part of the repositioned destination.
Residential property · 1973
Ashcroft Square
Ashcroft Square is the original local-authority housing estate located above the main shopping centre. It consists of seven blocks arranged around a central courtyard and remains an integral residential component of the mixed-use complex.
Residential property · 2019
Sovereign Court
Sovereign Court is a residential development on the northern side of the railway infrastructure. Developed by St George, it comprises 418 apartments in a building of varying heights, with associated parking, cycle spaces and commercial accommodation.
Office property · 1975
One Lyric Square
One Lyric Square is a 14-storey office building adjoining the shopping centre. It provides approximately 100,656 square feet of Grade A office accommodation and has housed office tenants including The Office Group.
Transport and parking · 1979
Public car park
The public car park serves Livat Hammersmith and the wider Hammersmith area. The original 950-space facility was replaced by a smaller facility associated with the Sovereign Court redevelopment and accessed from Glenthorne Road.
Brand decisions
2022
Repositioning from Kings Mall to Livat HammersmithStrategyBackground
Ingka Centres sought to make the property more of a place to meet and spend time, rather than a conventional shopping centre.
Action taken
The centre was refurbished, branded as Livat Hammersmith and relaunched with IKEA as a major anchor.
Aftermath
The reopening made Hammersmith the first Livat centre outside China and established a mixed-use destination combining retail, residential, office and parking functions.
Reported transformation investment. £170 million (Transformation announced following the 2020 acquisition; centre reopened in 2022)
2020
Acquisition by Ingka CentresM&ABackground
The former Kings Mall was acquired as part of Ingka Centres' expansion of its destination and meeting-place portfolio.
Action taken
Ingka Centres, part of INGKA Holding, purchased the centre and planned a major redevelopment with a new IKEA store.
Aftermath
The property was repositioned as Livat Hammersmith and reopened in February 2022.
Recent events
- 2022
Livat Hammersmith reopens with new IKEA store[1]
Product launch
The redeveloped centre reopened under the Livat identity on 4 February 2022, with IKEA as a major anchor alongside Primark and Sainsbury's.
- 2020
Ingka Centres acquires the centre[1]
M&A
Ingka Centres acquired the property and announced a major repositioning under the Livat concept, including a new IKEA store.
- 2019
Redevelopment begins to transform Kings Mall[1]
Other
The centre was undergoing a multimillion-pound refurbishment involving the shopping arcade and external access arrangements to the residential accommodation.
- 2015
Matterhorn Capital sells Kings Mall to Schroders[1]
M&A
Matterhorn Capital sold the shopping centre to Schroders in a transaction reported at £153 million.
- 2011
Kings Mall sold to Matterhorn Capital[1]
M&A
St Martins Property Group sold the Kings Mall complex to Matterhorn Capital in a transaction reported at £115 million.
Sources2 sources
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