The Swedish Furniture Giant- IKEA, which is a part of the Ingka Group, launched its second store in Indian city Navi Mumbai in December 2020. It was the first big format store of the home furnishings retailer in Maharashtra. 

This was the time when the entire world, including India, is fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsequent Lockdown in the country forced people to stay at home for most of the year. Yet, life did not stop. Instead people evolved and adapted to the new normal. The epidemic shifted people from retail space to online market places. Also,in a major diversion from the set mindset, more Indians have started to accept DIY as a mode of creating unique furniture. Global furniture brand IKEA shares an interesting opinion with Surfaces Reporter.

Also Read: Ikea To Open Its 2nd Store In Navi Mumbai On Dec 18, Plans Two More Stores In 2021 | SR Bulletin

Omnichannel Presence

IKEA continues to develop its omnichannel presence with physical stores, e-commerce, and additional services like click and deliver, click and collect, and remote planning.

The company has a planned investment of Rs 6,000 crore by 2030 to meet 25 million people in Maharashtra. According to the sources, this will provide more than 6,000 jobs, of which 50 percent will be for women in the state.

Also Read: Ikea Launches Click & Collect; Restarts Online service in Hyderabad

Amitabh Pande, Country Marketing Manager, IKEA

Set Up 2nd IKEA Mumbai Store Amid the Pandemic

Talking about the challenge to launch the IKEA Mumbai store amidst pandemic, Amitabh Pande, Country Marketing Manager, IKEA India said, “The complexity in our launch was that the single-minded objective- to create high excitement, buzz, and footfalls, got split in the middle, right into two conflicting halves! To create excitement and buzz for the new store launch that many Mumbaikars have been waiting for, yet not to have high footfalls so we could ensure a safe shopping experience. This was our biggest challenge.”

To ensure the safety of the customers, they have to control the number of customers that can be presented in the store throughout the day. For this, they had to start the concept of a daily division of visiting slots that means patrons had to register online before visiting the store.

Other safety measures the firm took to ensure that everyone in the store maintains physical distancing and wear masks. They had also kept sanitizers everywhere in the store and kept sanitizing time-to-time. They also provided omnichannel options like placing an order online for the products. So, either they get the products delivered to their home or they can pick them up from the outside the store.

Also Read: IKEAs new sustainability initiative aims at reducing excessive consumption | Will ‘Buy Back’ Used Furniture for Upto Half Original Prices

Future of DIY Culture in India

Asking him about the future of DIY culture in India, he said, "Indian customers are one of the smartest and the savviest in the world. They are really open to new experiences that a brand can bring to them. DIY has also particularly taken off during the pandemic, where more and more people locked at home are getting used to DIY.” He said that the FIXA tool kit is one of IKEA’s biggest sellers in the Hyderabad store.This shows that customers want to test and try Do-it-Yourself Concept. It might be difficult for people to install a kitchen, but people are trying to assemble simpler products such as tables, lamps or chairs.

Pande also emphasized on brands in India need to lead from their purpose and not mindlessly chase consumption growth. He also said that the home furnishing industry is still in its initial stages and after the pandemic, the importance of the comfort of people’s life indoors has increased.

The Navi Mumbai store of IKEA is anticipated to boost employment opportunities for the local community. The store will employ nearly 1,000 coworkers, of which 50 % will be women, and 40 % of these will be from the local area. IKEA is planning to open two more stores in 2021. IKEA already has a virtual presence in Pune and Hyderabad and has the plan to reach 100 million Indian clienteles by 2022.

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