HYDERABAD:Hyderabad is a receptive city and it’s all excited to shop at the big, blue building with sunny yellow name board announcing the global brand IKEA’s entry into India. The 40,000 sq-feet Swedish home furnishing store opened today at Hitech City, its first in India. Going by the number of hashtags, Hyderabadis seem to be enjoying the first taste of it.
Going around: The store with a parking facility of 1,300 cars (sorry no valet parking right now), has two floors and therefore less confusion about what to buy where. One floor is the ‘showroom’ which displays their product range with codes and cost and giving one a clear idea of what the product looks like. IKEA is known for its innovative furniture range, especially those that you can assemble at your home. So one can buy a sleek package that barely weighs one kg (no need of booking a trolley van to shift it home) which later turns into a cool sofa at home. This floor with model rooms is a demo floor. The other floor is the market room where you can buy. The store offers assistance for those who find it tough to assemble. “Those who place the order in the opening hour can expect its delivery on the same day, but it may take time as the day proceeds,” says Store Manager John Achillea.
How to shop
One can download the app which can help you on what to look for in which rack, but then the network connectivity is poor, at least in some spots. There are sign boards on walls listing the product range in alphabetical order. So if you want to find quilts, the board tells you which rack/row/bay you need to look for. In the furniture section, you can use the touch screen facility to understand your need and then find the price range and order it.
Communication connect: Anna Carin, Global HR, says that the store believes in gender balance and has 48 percent women workforce now. “Of the 960 workforce here, 90 percent are locals,” she says. All the customer care staff can speak English, Telugu and Hindi. Although the store is designed to give you a no-intervention shopping experience, Anna says that they felt the Hyderabad store needs a few personnel who can answer questions of the customers. “We still like to give the human touch.”
In a nutshell
They have over 7,500 products of which 500 are exclusive to Hyderabad and designed for local needs. From lunch boxes to vases to pillows, quilts, cooking utensils and the whole hog
IKEA can deliver to 99 zipcodes (99 areas in and around Hyderabad) currently and shoppers will have to check with the help desk if their area is covered under door delivery
The store says it doesn’t have any sales or offers. Says Sales Manager Christian Kampe, “Because we sell at everyday low prices, the most competitive pricing in the city.” They have 1,000 products priced below Rs 200
They expect a footfall of over 20,000 in the first week and more during the weekends
The 1,000 seater restaurant has food at prices that one gets in a mid-level restaurant. Samosa for Rs 10 and coffee for Rs 35
You’ve got to walk a lot (and not many spaces to sit and relax), so watch when you go with toddlers or senior citizens
The store will remain open 365 days between 10 am to 11 pm
Ikea would open retail stores in more than 40 cities
Online shopping begins in 2019 and their next destination is Mumbai
Rs 10,500 crore is Ikea’s proved initial investment in 2013. Rs 1,000 crore (140 million euros) investment per store. So far, Ikea has spent half the amount
— Manju LathaKalanidhi
kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com
@mkalanidhi