A view of Delhi’s first IKEA store.
The newly launched IKEA city store in Tagore Garden in West Delhi is creating a flutter as the Swedish company aims to ingeniously drive the capital’s denizens to de-clutter and make their homes more functional this festive season.
Diwali is usually the time for deep cleaning. Many families, like Kavya Verma’s who lives in Vikaspuri, an upper-middle-class residential area in West Delhi, redo their home interiors.
Last weekend, when Verma and her mother visited the IKEA store at Pacific Mall, the shop layout had them totally consumed. The subtle creative guidance all across the 15,000-sq.ft space, pushed their ongoing battle of sentiments vs. functionality to the back seat. “Being able to touch, feel, sit, and experience every product gave us a sense of thrill, and my mother is now thinking about upgrading our home,” says Verma.
A view of Delhi’s first IKEA store.
“Delhi is a market where more than space and affordability, people are looking for inspiration and are willing to spend; they visit a store with the intention to buy,” says Aadosh Sharma, IKEA’s Country Commercial Manager. IKEA’s annual Life at Home surveys, which examine how people live and how they aspire to live, have prompted the giant furniture and home furnishings retailer to open a store in Delhi. Launched during Independence Day, it has come three years after the first city store was inaugurated in Worli, Mumbai, in 2022.
Interestingly, in the past, big lifestyle brands have usually launched themselves in upmarket areas of South Delhi. Sharma says, the idea of having the city store inside a West Delhi mall appealed due to its proximity to the metro station and the high footfall.
A view of Delhi’s first IKEA store.
Immediate takeaway
The store offers 2,000-plus products on display of which 800 are available for immediate takeaway.
Once inside the store, visitors explore inspiring room settings that have been tailored to Delhi homes, plan their spaces using digital tools and seek personalised services, including interior planning, and home furnishing advice. The larger items can be ordered for home delivery from the entire online IKEA range.
A view of Delhi’s first IKEA store.
The online and omnichannel approach, according to Sharma, recognises the need to help customers optimise emotional connection and prioritise purchase. As per the Customer Insight Survey, ever since the launch of its e-commerce in March this year, IKEA has clocked more than 1,00,000 online orders from northern India, with 75,000 orders from Delhi alone. “A 10% month-on-month growth and early signs of strong repeat purchase behaviour signal a solid start in the region,” says Sharma.
Buying patterns
The survey done over the last four months reveals the buying patterns of Delhi shoppers, who have been mostly looking at shoe racks, multi-functional furniture such as sofa-cum-beds, chairs and study tables, compact wardrobes with mirrors and drawers, products that enliven balconies and sit-outs.
A view of Delhi’s first IKEA store.
What they have been buying most includes bedroom furniture, bookshelves, home decorations, and clear and no-fuss storage that suits functional homes. “The city has adapted to the brand. In the coming days, we will focus on specific spots and accentuate products based on area-specific demands,” says Sharma, adding that a network of six additional stores over the next five years is in the pipeline.
Published – August 29, 2025 06:45 pm IST
