Ikea opens its first furniture store in India

Ikea opens its first furniture store in India today, 9 August 2018, in Hyderabad. The 37 000 m² store is located in Hitec City, Hyderabad's technology centre, and employs 950 staff, 47 per cent of whom are women. According to Ikea, it is the first major independent retail brand to receive approval for foreign direct investment (FDI). The Swedish company plans to open more stores in the next few years in India's key cities, with the next due to follow in Navi Mumbai in 2019. To date the store chain has acquired four sites in the states of Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi/NCR.
Following an extensive study involving 1 000 house visits, the store will offer a locally adapted range. This will include Masala tins (for spices), pressure cookers, idli cookers (rice and lentil cakes), brightly coloured textiles or sustainable, locally produced mattresses with a coconut fibre core. However, classics such as the Billy bookshelf will also be on sale here as in any other Ikea store.