Watch: Here's what IKEA is doing differently in India

Swedish home furnishings major IKEA today opened its first store in India, kicking off its retail journey five years after it received approval to invest in the country's single-brand retail sector.

The announcement was first made six years ago after about 12 years of planning, reports said. The world's largest furniture retailer plans to open a total of 25 stores by 2025.

The first IKEA store is a 13-acre complex in Hitec City on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The showroom will display some 7,500 products and nearly 1,000 of which would sell for less than Rs 200 a piece. It expects six million customers in a year.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Inside a Gorkha rifles band of the Indian army tried to get people in the mood, including the patriotic "Saare jahan se achcha Hindustan hamara" ("Our India is better than the rest").

Here is what it is doing differently in India -

1. The 1,000-seater eatery, Ikea's biggest ever, will cater to Hindu sensitivities it will not sell its beef meatballs in the country, but serve chicken and veggie balls instead, while also offering shoppers biryani, samosas and veggie hotdogs, said IKEA's Antoni.

2. Most of the food will be sourced from about 25 vendors, mainly women-led social enterprises.

3. The company said it would increase its investments in India as it looks to accelerate expansion in the country faster than it would usually do elsewhere.

4. IKEA is partnering with UrbanClap, an app that connects people with a variety of service providers, including carpenters. UrbanClap charges customers about Rs. 250 for a 30-minute carpentry job.

5. IKEA said it has adopted a "non-negotiable" approach to hire 50 per cent women at all levels in India, even "including forklift drivers and assembling co-workers".

6. IKEA will set some prices even lower in India than elsewhere when it opens its first store in the country on Thursday, as it woos cost-conscious shoppers unaccustomed to DIY furniture.

7. IKEA has becomethe first major single retailer to get the FDI approval and plans to open several stores and multiple touch points across the main cities in India.