[hemanth.anand]

The Swedish MNC furnishing retailer IKEA opened its first store in India at Hyderabad yesterday.

The store is located at HITEC City spread across 13 acres. The store will remain open 365 days from 10.00 am and 11.00 pm everyday.


I ama fan of IKEA products and Whenever I visit a Germany for work, I visit IKEA store and pick up whatever small thing that I can carry in my limited baggage. I was eagerly waiting for the first IKEA store in India since many years (remember there were many legal hurdles for IKEA to open in India) so that I can also buy the bigger items. Just as I was starting to make plans of visiting this Hyderabad store, I started to get messages on Whatsapp regarding the mad rush and the traffic situation it created yesterday. The photos put Bengaluru's dreaded ORR traffic to shame.







It seems, there was even a Traffic advisory issued by the Hyderabad Traffic Police in this regard telling people about the do's and don't. Good job.


The memes were not to be left behind in educating people..


I thought many people didn't know what IKEA is. I've seen many people ask who came to know about this only yesterday. Even then so many people flocking to the store...I'm in awe actually. After the mad rush subsides, I'll visit one day or will wait till it opens in Bangalore may be in a year or two

If Thursday caused so much jams, I shudder to think what might happen this weekend. All the best to people in Hyderabad around that area

Why does anything new, creates such a humongous buzz in our country these days?!!

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Why does anything new, creates such a humongous buzz in our country these days?!!

Ill tell you why. Nationwide, mall hopping/ mall populating has become a bit of a national pastime. People have very little to do by way of recreation especially in metropolises, other than eating out, shopping and movies. All three of these are marketed (!!) as being the best ways to unwind every weekend. In fact, malls and shopping centres are depicted and marketed as being one stop shops for entertainment needs of the family! Therefore, whenever a new shopping destination opens up, people flock to that place, and this continues till the buzz dies down in a month or two.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

I thought many people didn't know what IKEA is. I've seen many people ask who came to know about this only yesterday. Even then so many people flocking to the store...I'm in awe actually. After the mad rush subsides, I'll visit one day or will wait till it opens in Bangalore may be in a year or two

Forget the traffic jams - it was quite a sad sight to see people behave like a heard of sheep through the counters - seen pushing and creating havoc to everyone around when the queues opened up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLqeQ4D5tHk

[volkman10]

Some not so known facts(less publicised) about IKEA -India






- The first Ikea store in India is now open, and the store will be using electric rickshaws

- electric rickshaws are meant to comprise at least 20% of the new Ikea store’s delivery fleet, and will be helpful for navigating India’s notoriously dense traffic and for deliveries in areas with tight winding streets.

-Ikea’s electric rickshaws will be charged at their store using 4,000 solar powers installed on the building’s roof. The excess electricity will be used to provide electricity for lighting and other uses inside the store.

- Around 90% of their stores globally derive at least some of their power from solar panels.

-In addition, Ikea has been hard at work installing solar powered charging stations for electric vehicles in their parking lots, with the goal of eventually providing EV charging for all customers and employees.

Source:

[avinash_m]

I was one of the unfortunate souls stuck in this traffic, during evening hours. IMO the problem actually worsened because of the ongoing road constructions and then the rains in the evening.
As the volume of traffic and people started increasing, people started parking cars half-hazardly on the nearby roads. I could see all this, from my office, during the day as I work in Mindspace.
Ikea had clearly called out the external parking arrangements in local newspapers on the prior day. But I don't think they would've expected such a crowd on the first day itself. I've WhatsApp forwards of Ikea staff trying to physically stop the deluge of people at their entrance; such was the mad rush! Indeed begs the question, what and why; it's not like it is shutting shop the next day!? To my mind, it's just the 'first day first show' bragging rights (selfies, snaps et al)!?

With the weekend approaching now, this is only expected to get worse. I was really kicked to go visit but will now wait for this initial excitement and rush to come down.

Edit: Thanks @Crazy_driver for the video; this was the one I was referring to.

[srishiva]

Shouldn't it have been opened far away from city and also about 5 kms off of an highway ? I guess Ikea will have no issues with what happens. Also, I hope they dont make food tasty else people will just go there to have food and stroll down the store

[Prodigy07]

Thanks for sharing. I'm a BIG fan of IKEA too

Is IKEA planning to launch Online sales in India?

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Forget the traffic jams - it was quite a sad sight to see people behave like a heard of sheep through the counters - seen pushing and creating havoc to everyone around when the queues opened up!

OMG - The crowd seems to be very similar to the ones witnessed at Tirumala for Free Darshan.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

g. I'm a BIG fan of IKEA too

Is IKEA planning to launch Online sales in India?

Its already gone online yesterday itself

Unfortunately there are food courts and you can't expect none when you see scale of this Ikea outlet .

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Some not so known facts(less publicised) about IKEA -India ...

These electric rickshaws are Ikea shuttles. They have designated 3 different parking spaces available away from their stores. Some, like the one near the Nanakramguda rotary are actually pretty far (about 2.5 to 3 kilometers at least) away. When people park themselves at any of those designated parkings they will be ferried to the Ikea store in these shuttles.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Its already gone online yesterday itself

But online sales will start next year, after the Mumbai store opens.

At a preview of the store yesterday, Ikea's India Chief Executive Officer Peter Betzel told reporters that the company will be launching online sales in this country when it opens its second India retail store in Mumbai next year. "As online buying in every product area is growing, it will be so in furniture segment too," said Betzel, adding that IKEA also expected the online pie in India to be bigger than the 6-7 per cent share it has been getting through etailing in a dozen countries so far.

https://www.businesstoday.in/current...ry/279953.html

[comfortablynumb]

Folks, if you haven't got one already, get this bag immediately.

https://www.ikea.com/in/en/p/frakta-...blue-90161989/

It is INDESTRUCTIBLE and can be used to haul literally anything (I have 2 )

Cheers,
Vikram

[Prodigy07]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Its already gone online yesterday itself

I quickly checked IKEA India portal and it looks like they haven't started shipping their products yet!

Only store pick-up is available.

[mjumrani]

IKEA cannot start e-commerce operations in India as existing FDI rules do not allow 100% FDI in B2C e-commerce. IKEA is not a market place like Amazon.

[ritz3645]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Why does anything new, creates such a humongous buzz in our country these days?!!

Late 1999 when Pizza hut first opened in Pune, similar things happened, people waiting for three hours for a table and line stretched all over the road. A few months later everything normal. This rush opening event will create a lot of visibility/eyeballs/hits in India and world, but I'd still think a soft launch will have been much better without breaking back. Same happened when first Bigbazaar opened near us. Families dressed in their best, all there to experience the event.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by volkman10

- The first Ikea store in India is now open, and the store will be using electric rickshaws

Good measure to use electric rickshaws but the rickshaws in the pictures are surely not electric.

Originally Posted by Zappo

These electric rickshaws are Ikea shuttles. They have designated 3 different parking spaces available away from their stores. Some, like the one near the Nanakramguda rotary are actually pretty far (about 2.5 to 3 kilometers at least) away. When people park themselves at any of those designated parkings they will be ferried to the Ikea store in these shuttles.

They are not just beautifully done up, but they were used nicely in promotion.

http://youtu.be/EMwHit_RMNA