IKEA, has opened its first store in India and its turning its attention to Maharashtra. The Swedish furniture retailer has announced that it will create over 10,000 jobs in the state as it opens its Mumbai store in 2019.
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Per Hornell, Market Manager Maharashtra, IKEA India, said, “Maharashtra is an extremely important market for us. We have been sourcing from the state for many decades and now we are ready to enter the market in 2019 with our full offer to be able to serve all the customers.”
IKEA also said that 50% of its hires would inclode female workers at all the levels. Incidentally, IKEA’s philanthropic arm, the IKEA Foundation, has been supporting women empowerment in India under a skill development project called DISHA.
It has even roped in various public and private partners for skilling the one million women and also making them workforce-ready.
The company said in a statement, “An integral part of the business at IKEA is aimed at creating a workplace that is good for co-workers, customers and business partners. Built upon the principles of diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities for all, IKEA works towards creating a positive workspace which is progressive and inspiring.”
In a bid for creating some better and more productivr workplace, IKEA would be instituting various number of “employee friendly policies” such as daycare facilities, parental leave policy, transport policy, competence development, mentoring, pension plan, etc.
IKEA is also “committed” to the local supplier ecosystem and will be focusing on “better wages and working conditions for suppliers’ co-workers.”
Commenting on the upcoming IKEA store, Hornell said, “Mumbai is unique in terms of its lively and diverse culture, entrepreneurial spirit and creative use of space. We believe that IKEA’s core values and traditions integrate with these characteristics as we aim to be a part of everyday lives of ‘Mumbaikars’ through our solutions and services.”
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