Ikea will launch its first ever India store in Hyderabad on Thursday. Ahead of the big day, Jesper Brodin, chief executive of the Swedish furniture retailer spoke to CNBC-TV18 about the company's future plans and growth prospects.

“The collaboration with the local government representation and also the India representation has been tremendous. Together with a good collaboration we have been able to found ways, which would be great for Ikea and certainly great for India,” Brodin said.

Brodin said that the company has already pumped-in 4.5 billion euro and that it will continue to boost investments in the coming years.

"The commitment that we have made is not short-term, it is long-term. It would take us a couple of years to get volumes, to get economy of scale here but this is the starting point,” he added.

Like other global retailers, IKEA is betting big on India’s emerging growth story, given that sales in several other markets are showing signs of sluggishness.

“India is one of the fastest developing economies. All the facts are there. Today it is a super strong commitment throughout the India for progress that has to go hand-in-hand. Today it is a braver India and it is a more open India that is more committed to the progress,” Brodin said.

Ikea's Hyderabad store will feature the company’s first in-house furniture-assembly team, with 150 full-time employees. This is an optional service after research indicated many Indians would be unlikely to buy bookshelves and tables they had to screw together. The company has also tied up with home services platform UrbanClap for assembly of its furniture.

Speaking about the company's India plans, Brodin said, “The biggest learning for us from India is related to the quality. So the Indian home is dynamic. It is a lot of people, it is a lot of love, it is a lot of coming together and if you take that combination with one of the driest and most humid climates in the world, it has put a lot of demands back on us to fulfil the quality standards.”

Ikea's store will also showcase items tailored for Indians, such as lunchbox sets to carry multiple-course meals, pans to cook chapatis and other Indian breads. Its Hyderabad restaurant can seat 1,000 people and will be the company’s biggest to date.

First Published:Aug 8, 2018 3:20 PM IST