IKEA, Swedish home furnishings retailer celebrates five years of retail operations in India. This is accentuated by another remarkable global milestone as IKEA celebrates 80 years this year. Since its humble beginnings in the small Swedish village of Almhult, its founder Ingvar Kamprad has created an unparalleled home furnishings retail concept that has touched the lives of millions of people around the world for the last 8 decades.
Ingka Group has been underlining a strong and continued commitment to the Indian market. In the last 5 years, it has contributed to the growth of the organised home furnishings retail, increasing local sourcing, investing in new markets, creating employment and learning from the Indian society to be locally relevant. With 5 physical stores and online presence in 6 cities, and investments from other entities like Ingka Centres, IKEA Foundation, Global Business Operations, Ingka Digital Hub and IKEA Supply, the commitment is even stronger with a ONE IKEA approach to create bigger impact.
IKEA places sustainability high on its agenda including Climate action, Circularity, Equality and Community engagement. The company employs 3,000 coworkers today in all its markets and the ambition is grow to 10,000 coworkers in the coming years with 50% gender diversity. In its stores, the company employs close to 70% of coworkers from local neighbourhood. Local sourcing is a priority to become even more affordable with ambition to reach 50% in the coming years.
To celebrate this fantastic milestone, IKEA India hosted a special evening in the presence of Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT) Departments of the Government of Telangana, Susanne Pulverer, CEO and CSO of IKEA, and Christophe Adrien, Market Manager of IKEA Hyderabad.
On the occasion, Susanne Pulverer, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA India, said "What a fantastic journey it has been for IKEA in India. India has given us an opportunity to deeply understand the diverse needs and aspirations of the consumers and we have used these learnings to develop our offerings to create a better everyday life at home not only in India but across the globe. As we enter the next phase of our omnichannel expansion in India, we lead by being more affordable, accessible and sustainable for the many people. All of this would not have been possible without our passionate co-workers, customers, and the authorities in making this journey significant one for us”.
Christophe Adrien, Market Manager, IKEA Hyderabad said “The incredible journey of IKEA started from our first store in Hyderabad, a city that has warmly embraced us with love and trust. Hyderabad homes are all about togetherness & love for the home. We are thankful to Telangana government for their continuous support that enabled us to create a positive impact in the lives of the many people of Hyderabad. IKEA presence has not only elevated life at home but has also contributed to employment opportunities and local sourcing. Through initiatives focused on sustainability and community engagement, IKEA Hyderabad has underlined its commitment to a better everyday life for the many people.
IKEA is famous for its unique product range and solutions to create better homes. All IKEA products meet the 5 essential principles of good quality, Value for money, Good design, Functionality and Sustainability. Around 95% of the 9500 products is the same globally with locally relevant presentation of solutions in the stores to connect with local life at home situations. Since 2015-16, IKEA has been visiting Indian homes consistently to better understand the needs and desires of consumers.
