NEW DELHI: For the first time in three decades, Ikea is using India as a hub for making sofas and furniture for its global stores. This is expected to build volumes for the Swedish furniture retailer and, as a result, help bring down prices of its products in India. Ikea India CEO Juvencio Maeztu told TOI that Ikea products sold here will sport lower price tags than the ones sold in European markets. “At Ikea, we target everyone -we want you to come to our store, your boss and your maid, as well,“ said Maeztu. “Some of them will buy big furniture and some of them will buy a spoon or a glass and therefore we need to have low prices.“One of the ways how Ikea plans to reduce prices of its products in India is by exporting locally-made products to its global stores to achieve economies of scale. Although the company has been sourcing from the country for 30 years for its stores worldwide, textiles constituted 70% of its exports.Currently, however, as it inches towards running a full-fledged operation here, Ikea sees potential in sectors such as metal, plastic and glass. “We are now working on comfort items such as sofas and mattresses,“ said Maeztu. “Simultaneously, we are also trying to develop products from materials such as coconut, sugarcane, bamboo and banana leaves -materials that have had no organised industry built around them.“Globally, Ikea sources around 75% of its products from Europe and the rest from other places, including Asia. “Going forward, we will see more Made-in-India products in Ikea stores around the world,“ Maeztu said.Ikea plans to open 25 stores in India by 2025 for a proposed investment of Rs 10,500 crore.