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IKEA, a leading home furnishing retailer headquartered in Sweden, has announced its foray into Bengaluru with the launch of ecommerce services and a mobile shopping app.

The city of Bengaluru now joins the other locations – Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara, where IKEA has an online presence. The retailer opened its first retail store in Hyderabad in August 2018, and one in Navi Mumbai in December 2020.

According to a statement issued by IKEA, people in Bengaluru will have access to IKEA’s over 8,000 home furnishing products and solutions.

Peter Betzel, CEO and CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer), IKEA India said, “Karnataka is a very important market for IKEA and Bengaluru is one of the largest home furnishing market in India. We will bring a complete omnichannel offer to the market and are excited to take the first step now with the launch of our ecommerce channel and meeting the many people in Bengaluru with their aspirations and dreams for a better life at home.”

According to the IKEA executive, the retailer will also open its store in Bengaluru at Nagasandra within a year, with the outlet measuring around four lakh square feet.

The presence of IKEA in Karnataka is expected to create employment opportunities, enable skill development and usher in best practices in the retail sector. Over the next five years, the company plans to hire 2,500 people and is expected to generate around 1,200 indirect jobs.

IKEA works with nine home furnishing suppliers in Karnataka, including a social entrepreneur engaging 1,200 local artisans, thereby increasing its local sourcing footprint in the state.  

IKEA has taken an omnichannel approach where it will be focusing on both digital and physical formats. The mobile shopping app will feature product recommendations, ratings, and reviews, along with easier searching and browsing experience. The app also allows customers to add the products to their shopping list even while physically browsing through the products in the store. Customers can also find a built-in barcode scanner which will help them learn more details about the products, including materials and dimensions.

IKEA has been sourcing from India for over 35 years with close to 50 suppliers, 45,000 direct employees and 400,000 people in the extended supply chain in India producing for its stores worldwide.