The much-awaited opening of Swedish furnishing store Ikea’s first store in India in Hyderabad has been delayed. The store, which was set to open on July 19, will now be opened on August 9, 2018.
According to an official communication from the company, IKEA Retail India has moved the launch date as it needs more time to ‘live up to its expected quality commitments towards customers and coworkers’.
Our main priority is to create an inspiring and safe experience for both customers and coworkers. Opening the first Indian IKEA store in Hyderabad means a lot to IKEA and we want to offer the best possible meeting with IKEA for the many Indian customers”, said Peter Betzel CEO, IKEA Retail India said in statement.
Ikea announced its entry into India nearly five years ago after it received a nod from the government to invest Rs 10,500 crore for 25 stores across India as it aims to reach 200 million people over the next three years. Hyderabad will see the first store, followed by Mumbai, Bengaluru and Gurugram. The foundation stone for the 400,000 square feet Hyderabad store was laid in July 2016. The Ikea store will also have a 1000-seater restaurant, which will serve a combination of Swedish and Indian food.
There is much excitement for the upcoming Ikea store, which is expected to have products starting at a price of as low as Rs 149, which is much lesser than its prices elsewhere. As per reports, at least 1000 of its 7,500 products sold at the store will cost less than Rs 200 in India. As per news reports, Ikea looking to spend over Rs 150 for advertising in the country ahead of its grand expansion plans.
One of Ikea’s unique features is that it sells its furniture in boxes, which then needs to be assembled. For this purpose, IKEA has tied up with home services startup UrbanClap, whose carpenters will be trained by Ikea to assemble its furniture. Customers can avail the assembling service from UrbanClap app.