A glimpse at furniture major IKEA's first India store in Hyderabad

After years of waiting, IKEA is finally set to take on one of the world's biggest markets

From stuffed toys to kitchen cabinets, IKEA is bringing an assortment of furnishing and homeware to India. It has opened its first store in the country in the Southern city of Hyderabad.

The IKEA store is sprawled across 4,00,000 sq ft and offers 7,500 household items. Out of the 7,500 products, 20% of their products are locally-sourced as well and have been tailored to suit Indian preferences.

Keeping in mind that India is a country will lower annual per capita income, IKEA is tweaking its price range. Out of the 7,500 products that IKEA will make available in India, 1,000 are priced at less than Rs 200, and 500 of them cost under Rs 100.

The company is expecting a footfall of 60 lakh visitors in a year at their Hyderabad store. It will be open throughout the week from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm.

By 2025, IKEA plans to open 25 stores in India. After Hyderabad, the next store is popping up in Mumbai and eventually in Bengaluru, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Pune and other cities.

IKEA is also planning to eventually open large or small format stores in at least 49 other Indian cities with population or more than a million.

IKEA's Hyderabad store will also have the company's biggest restaurant in the world. From vegetarian fare like idli and sambar, samosa and vegetable biryani to non-vegetarian dishes, the Ikea restaurant's menu is tailored to suit Indian taste buds.

Pork and beef fare will be replaced by chicken dishes for the non-vegetarian customers. The 1,000-seater restaurant will have a very affordable menu including a plate of samosas for Rs 10.

In trademark IKEA style, the Hyderabad store exhibits two full homes reflecting 'Life at Home in Hyderabad'. Different room sets including bathroom, kitchen and living room are on full display.

IKEA is likely to face some stiff competition in India from online furniture retail startups Pepperfry and UrbanLadder. Besides, Godrej Group's Godrej Interio, Future Group's HomeTown, Nilkamal Ltd's @Home, and Durian Industries Pvt Ltd.'s namesake furniture business are also in the league.