Ikea to open first store in India
Ikea has started constructing its first store in India. Scheduled to open by the end of 2017, the Swedish furniture chain is hoping to overcome the challenges that prevented other international players successfully cracking the market.
Attracting international retail experience to India has been difficult and controversial but Ikea has promised a long term relationship with the country and its consumers – it has pledged over $1.5 billion
Other global retailers like Wal-Mart and Carrefour abandoned plans to grow in India but Ikea is cementing its commitment with a symbolic stone wall on its new plot in Hyderabad.
Juvencio Maeztu, Ikea’s India chief executive said: "We have to lead business with reality. We cannot lead business with only PowerPoints and Excel sheets and documents. We are extremely obsessed in life at home."
Maetzu and his teams have conducted extensive research into the Indian furniture retail market, and have visited more than 500 homes in the area to understand the needs of the market.
They discovered that, while the older generations were willing to wait for furniture to be handmade, younger people desired a more instant furniture fix India’s home furniture industry is estimated to be worth $20 billion and is growing quickly.
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SOURCE: [BBC]
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