IKEA currently has 403 stores in 49 countries with a sales volume of 38.3 billion euros.

NEW DELHI: Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA 's new store in Hyderabad will have its largest ever 1,000-seater restaurant, offering both Indian and Swedish cuisine. The retailer will also offer over 7,000 products at its first store in the country which is scheduled to open next year.

Ulf Smedberg, Country Marketing Manager, IKEA India , said they plan to open 25 stores in India by 2025. The next store to come up in Mumbai during 2019 and will be bigger than the Hyderabad store with five lakh square feet.

Before of the actual launch planned in the spring of 2018, IKEA opened its experiential centre, providing a sneak peek into its products and solutions. The display includes the bedroom, living area, kitchen and dining, play area among others.

Here are the key things to know about the new store:

1. The centre, IKEA Hej Home, has been designed for a six-month duration, and it is located in Forum Mall, Kukatpally near Hitec City.

2. The four lakh square feet store on a 13-acre site in Hitec City, IT corridor, will attract an investment of Rs 1,000 crore.

3. The store aims to create around 800 direct jobs and the company promises that half of them will be for women.

4. The products displayed at the store will not be on sale for now but the buyers can touch, feel and experience few of them.

5. Almost 1,000 out of around 7,000 products to cost below Rs 200, the company officials said.

6. IKEA has been sourcing from India for the last 30 years and it plans to double its sourcing volumes by 2020 for sales at its stores in the country and also abroad.

7. "In India, IKEA currently has 50 suppliers with 45,000 direct employees and going forward we are looking at expanding this supply chain," said Patrik Antoni, deputy country manager of IKEA India

8. Company officials said they were also exploring the opportunity to manufacture the products, especially in the fabrics segment.

9. Currently, IKEA Foundation, the company's philanthropic arm, is training around 100 women in retail skills in Hyderabad.

10. IKEA currently has 403 stores in 49 countries with a sales volume of 38.3 billion euros.

(With Agency inputs)

