IKEA store to employ around 700 direct coworkers and create around 1500 indirect job opportunities

IKEA, the Swedish home furnishing retailer, has celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony of its first store in Navi Mumbai. This is a step towards giving the many people in Mumbai access to IKEA’s well-designed range of home furnishing solutions.

Each IKEA store is likely to employ around 700 direct co-workers and another 1500 providing services such as assembly, delivery etc.

IKEA has a very strong diversity and inclusion agenda and the Navi Mumbai store will also employ 50% women coworker. For the coworker’s children there will be a crèche, idea is just to support more women to be a part of retail industry.

The IKEA Foundation, IKEA’s philanthropic arm, in cooperation with UNDP, is also running a skill building project – DISHA with the commitment to train 1 million women from India in coming 10 years.

The IKEA store in Mumbai will participate as a partner and will employ women from this program. In parallel to the store openings IKEA is on its way to double the sourcing from India by 2020 to 600 million euros for its India and global stores.

Juvencio Maeztu, Chief Executive Officer, IKEA India, said, "I truly believe that Mumbai is the city of dreams! We feel very welcome and are truly committed to providing a better everyday life for the many people of Mumbai.

We will make a positive footprint by creating employment, investing in skill/competence development, growing local sourcing to meet India and global demands and bringing IKEA’s global best practices to contribute to India’s retail and manufacturing sector growth."

Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra State, Devendra Fadnavis, said, "I am excited to see many global brands taking interest in Mumbai. IKEA’s entry makes me particularly happy as we in the state strongly believe that IKEA will have a very positive impact.

This store is a result of the MoU signed earlier by IKEA with Government of Maharashtra as a major step towards establishing retail stores in the State.  We will extend full cooperation to enable ease of doing business every day in our state."

IKEA plans to open 25 stores in India by 2025, and will be opening its first India store in Hyderabad in early 2018. The Mumbai store is planned to be open in early 2019.

IKEA stores will have solar panels, LED lights, water treatment plants and modern waste management systems.