The 4,60,000 sq ft store selling over 7,500 products is expected to attract around 5 million visitors this year
The 4,60,000 sq ft store selling over 7,500 products is expected to attract around 5 million visitors this year
Swedish home furnishing brand IKEA will open its largest store in India in Nagasandra, next to the metro station, on June 22, the company said on Tuesday.
Displaying over 7,500 items, the store will initially employ over 1,000 people and is expected to attract around 5 million visitors this year.
The company also said that it will invest Rs 3,000 crore in Karnataka and a part of it has already been invested in setting up a 4,60,000 sq ft store.
Speaking at a media conference, former IKEA India CEO Peter Betzel said that at the time of the foundation ceremony four years ago, the then chief minister himself was keen to get the store up and running in a few months. He added that although the pandemic had delayed it a bit, the outlet was worth the wait as it was IKEA’s flagship store in the country.
Addressing the media, current CEO Suzanne Pulverer said that India is an all-channel country for IKEA like no other.
“There are over 8 lakh customers visiting our site every month in Bengaluru alone. It has given us a good foundation even before we started our offline presence in the city,” she said.
“We want to have a good 30:70 mix between online and offline sales. We’re also seeing people wanting to return to the real world.”
Parineeta Cecil Lakra, Country People and Culture Manager, IKEA India, said that by 2030, IKEA will have 10,000 employees in the country.
He said the company hired people based on values and culture and diversity was a major focus. About 57% of IKEA managers in India were women.
Vinay Rai, People and Culture Manager at IKEA Nagasandra, said the store was also hiring students and women after part-time and full-time engagements.
“About 70% of the workforce in the store is local and we aim to recruit more. In addition, 60% of the employees are full-time and the rest part-time,” she said.
Set on 12.2 acres of land, IKEA Nagasandra is the brand’s third largest store in the country after Hyderabad and Mumbai. The fourth store, in Delhi-NCR, is currently under construction. The store also has a 1,000-seat restaurant that serves both Indian and Swedish cuisine.