IKEA in India: Here's how day 1 went for Swedish furniture giant

Swedish furniture giant, IKEA marked its elaborated entry in India on Thursday. The firm had opened its first store in Telangana's capital Hyderabad and would soon launch its second store in Mumbai followed by Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR respectively. IKEA reportedly had surveyed around 800 homes in India to study the living pattern and the Hyderabad store launch came after 12 vigorous research on the Indian household. 

IKEA said that it will provide delivery and assembly service to its customers who are not familiar with the DIY (do it yourself) concept. The store has as much as 1000 products under Rs 200. 

But how was IKEA's day one in India? To the company's delight, massive crowd turned up for its store opening in the city. The shop's opening saw a stampede-like situation. People standing in long serpentine queues were seen pushing each other and grabbing the products showcased in the store.

Welcoming the first customers in the first IKEA store in Hyderabad. #ikeaindia pic.twitter.com/lfMMCintkF

— IKEA Sverige (@IKEASverige) August 9, 2018

IKEA's sprawling store has come up in the heart of Hyderabad Information Technology and Engineering Consultancy City (HITEC) close to the posh localities, the store appears to be designed to target upper middle-class and the rich, though the store promises something for everyone, irrespective of their spending capacity.

Today we are entering our 50th market with our 420th store in Hyderabad, India.

Press release (in Swedish) and high-res photos can be found here: https://t.co/yudU16Igjz pic.twitter.com/mcRFtsyb2z

— IKEA Sverige (@IKEASverige) August 9, 2018

Ikea, which has stores in 49 countries, has a mixed global range with the local needs and realities.

Interestingly, along with furniture, the store also offers a wide range of dishes and has a capacity to accommodate around 1000 customers in its restaurant which is the biggest restaurants among all IKEA's in-store restaurants worldwide.

The store would house 7,500 products and will be operational from 10 am to 11 pm every day of the year.

Expressing happiness, IKEA's food manager for India, Henrik Osterstrom, said, "I am super delighted that finally, the store has opened, we were working on it since 2013. We have decided that food is important for IKEA and it is important for India as well, so that's why we have the biggest restaurant in the Hyderabad store."

Meanwhile, Urban Ladder welcomed IKEA with a Namaste gif. "Namaste @IKEAIndia Welcome to India," tweeted Urban Ladder along with a gif of its staff welcoming the furnishings giant with folded hands. 

Namaste @IKEAIndia Welcome to India pic.twitter.com/Ssg8cPnFob

— Urban Ladder (@UrbanLadder) August 9, 2018

Urban Ladder, co-founded by Ashish Goel (CEO) and Rajiv Srivatsa (COO) in July 2012, is one of the largest online retail stores of furniture in India. The company delivers its products in all major cities of India. IKEA's entry into Indian market may actually pose a challenge for Urban Ladder and that is why the big-hearted welcome was more significant. 

IKEA had originally planned to open its first store in India by 2017, but it was delayed. The opening of its first store here was scheduled for July 19 this year but the company again pushed it back by almost 20 days to August 9, citing quality commitments.