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Journalism of Courage
It’s a weekday, but the lower ground floor of Pacific Mall in Tagore Garden is buzzing, as a small crowd makes their way through the entrance of the newly opened IKEA store – the first in the Capital to open its doors.
This is not one of those aircraft-hangar-sized IKEAs you might have seen in Bengaluru or Hyderabad. At 15,000 sq ft, the space feels almost intimate by the brand’s standards – yet somehow manages to squeeze in everything from modular kitchens to budget-friendly fancy lamps to storage necessities.
The store is a series of little worlds: a dining nook with wooden table and foldable red chairs, a bedroom in warm wood and soft lighting, a living space designed keeping in mind the aesthetics of Delhites.
Those touches aren’t accidental. IKEA teams conducted home visits across Delhi to see how people live, what they store, and the colours they choose.
The result? More carpets than you’d find in Mumbai, more gold finishes than in Bengaluru, and textiles that could comfortably sit in an Old Delhi market stall. Only here, they are arranged in picture-perfect Scandinavian order.
There’s the café too. The IKEA special meatballs are the star, but the menu stretches from muffins to cheesecakes, all at an affordable rate.
The store’s compact size has its pros and cons. “It’s awesome, but I wish there was more space to move around,” says Jayashree (47) on a wheelchair.
Chandni Krishna, a homemaker, says the store is affordable. “You will not get a quarter plate anywhere for Rs 149.”
The store is also built for impulse inspiration. Around 800 items can be taken home immediately – from vases shaped like cacti to stackable storage boxes, while larger furniture can be ordered for delivery. There’s even a legacy piece, the IKEA PS lamp, which opens like a glowing globe.
The store is part of IKEA India’s ‘One Click, 30 Minutes Away’ model, aimed at making the retailer more accessible in high-footfall urban locations where setting up large stores are not feasible.
“We see the city format as a great complement to other formats. Online is our base, complemented by large stores like those in Hyderabad, Navi Mumbai, and Bengaluru. We’re building two more in Gurugram and Noida,” says IKEA India’s outgoing CEO Susanne Pulverer.
The launch of the West Delhi store, showcasing over 2,000 products, follows IKEA’s North India e-commerce debut in March, covering Delhi-NCR, Agra, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Prayagraj, and Varanasi.
IKEA’s research indicates that Delhiites show particular interest in living rooms and bedrooms. “What we’ve learned from Delhi is based on the many home visits we’ve done over the years. We know that many homes here are a bit larger, especially compared to Mumbai. Socialising is a big part of life in Delhi. So, a lot of focus will be on the living room, but the bedroom is also of great interest to Delhiites,” Pulverer adds.
