IKEA, the Swedish multinational retailing company, started India operation with the launch of the first store in Hyderabad in August. The store offers over 7,500 products including thousands of products priced below Rs 200, which attracted nearly 40,000 people on day one.

Publication: International Business Times (Online)

Date: November 28, 2018

If you were planning to drop into one of Myntra’s brick-and-mortar store and pick up a fashionable sweater for this winter, hold on for a while. The online company has put its plan to open 100 franchise stores across the country on hold for now. If you were planning to drop into one of Myntra’s brick-and-mortar store and pick up a fashionable sweater for this winter, hold on for a while. The online company has put its plan to open 100 franchise stores across the country on hold for now.

Publication: Business Standard (Online)

Date: November 28, 2018

If you are planning to welcome guests at your want to make them feel their comfortable best then all you need to do is make your home winter friendly. Gestures and hospitality are not the only ways to make guests feel welcome as your home interiors and decor play a very crucial role when it comes to making the visitors feel the warmth and love. Here are few tips by experts to create a winter friendly aura at your home with stylish home decoration.

Publication: India Tv (Online)

Date: November 28, 2018

Marriage requires the merging of two separate individuals in more ways than one and the home where the bride and groom are to live is going to be an important aspect of their first few months as man and wife. Typically, men and women have polar opposite home decorating ideas so blending styles can be a bit complicated.

Publication: The Tribune (Online)

Date: November 28, 2018

After spending 13 years abroad, when Chitwan Sidhu, 45, came back to India, she found it quite challenging to find freelance projects. Sidhu, a designer, relied heavily on personal recommendations, and she slowly built up a portfolio. Two years ago, she finally joined Livspace, a home design and renovation platform, as a design partner.

Publication: Mint Live (Online)

Date: November 26, 2018

Swedish retailer Ikea has not yet started its e-commerce business in India but some of its products have already surfaced on online marketplaces such as Amazon India. In a bid to cash in on the craze for Ikea’s furniture, independent sellers are buying several products, including chairs, stools, saucepan sets in bulk from Ikea’s only store in Hyderabad and sending them to buyers across the country through Amazon’s online marketplace.

Publication: Times of India (Online)

Date: November 24, 2018

Business-to-business marketplace Udaan was looking to raise $150 million earlier this year with the intention of bringing in at least a few new investors. But not only did its existing investors Lightspeed India Partners and DST Global move swiftly to fund the entire round, they also pushed the company to raise a significantly higher amount.

Publication: Deal Street Asia (Online)

Date: November 23, 2018

Epsilon released the commissioned study ‘Marketing in India is personal, not just business’ conducted by Forrester Consulting. The findings revealed the huge chasm between what marketers believe they need to do to reach consumers, and what consumers actually prefer.

Publication: Best Media Info (Online)

Date: November 22, 2018

Known for its large warehouses on the city outskirts, Swedish furniture and home accessories company IKEA is now betting on smaller stores. These stores will work as experience centres and are expected to push online sales. At present, Ikea only opens large outlets ranging from 400,000 sq ft which are mostly located in the outskirts of a city. IKEA opened its first store in India in July, which is a 400,000 sq ft facility. It is building three fulfilment centres (packing warehouses) in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi.

Publication: The Economic Times (Online)

Date: November 22, 2018

Ingka Group (Ingka Holding B.V and its controlled entities), which owns and operates IKEA stores and fulfilment centres, has announced plans to cut 7,500 jobs globally out of its total workforce of 160,000 in 30 markets. However, India, which is a new market, will not be impacted, the company has clarified.

Publication: The Hindu (Online)

Date: November 21, 2018

In a departure from its large warehouse-size store formats, Ikea is experimenting with 30 smaller outlets across the world in a bid to address the changing consumer patterns globally, even as the Swedish retail giant has decided to increase investments in ecommerce offerings.

Publication: The Economic Times (Online)

Date: November 21, 2018

For retailers to deliver a truly omnichannel experience, they must integrate data across channels and evaluate the same. This is easier said than done. While online shopping data has become relatively easy to collect and analyse, there is growing convolution with every new channel, that is being incorporated into our digitalised lives (e.g. smart watches and voice assistants like Amazon Alexa).

Publication: Indian Retailer (Online)

Date: November 22, 2018

It is always nice to change the decor of your house, especially an intimately personal space like your bedroom, to give it a new, fresh vibe. Here are some artsy concepts you can incorporate into your home and add a stylish boho touch to it.

Publication: Time of India (Online)

Date: November 21, 2018

Whether it’s the intricate architecture in the palaces of Jaipur, the colorful textiles that grace most Indian homes, or the elaborate silhouettes seen in traditional wedding attire, Indian culture has long embraced embellished styles, exuberant hues and intricate detailing. But change is in the air, as evidenced by several minimalist brands’ foray into the Indian market—and their runaway successes to date.

Publication: Business of Home (Online)

Date: November 21, 2018

You know that often-asked question during interviews about where do you see yourself 10 years from now? What if someone answers: “Not doing the same thing that I am doing today.” This is no longer a red-flag answer. Many companies are now encouraging their employees to get out of their comfort zone, learn new skills and take up new roles in the organization, which lets them explore new areas of contribution.

Publication: Mint Live (Online)

Date: November 19, 2018

The online retail market is flourishing and gradually picking up its desired pace. A host of developments involving artificial intelligence, automation and use of analytics seem likely to propel the sector to further heights. Here is a KPMG report on the e-commerce sector in India.

Publication: The Financial Chronicle (Online)

Date: November 19, 2018

IKEA, the Swedish home furnishing retailer, which opened its first store in the country at Hyderabad in August this year, invites IKEA FAMILY kids aged between 0 and 12 years, to participate at the Annual IKEA Global Soft Toy Drawing Competition. People who are not a part of IKEA FAMILY loyalty programme can simply register themselves for the programme on the IKEA India website or get themselves registered when they come over to the Hyderabad store to get their kids to participate in the competition.

Publication: The Hans India (Online)

Date: November 18, 2018

As we enter 2019 the big players are expected to outspend each other in increasing the market share by targeting the existing customers and acquiring new customers. Entering new product categories and geographies is also going to be the key theme for 2019. The recent exit of Binny Bansal as Flipkart Group CEO will change a lot of things in Flipkart and has lessons for the ecosystem. Forrester sees the following trends in the Indian consumer internet landscape in 2019.

Publication: Financial Chronicle (Online)

Date: November 18, 2018

Three months after the Swedish major IKEA set shop in India, another global furniture retail giant is testing the waters. On Nov. 15, Reliance Brands, part of the Mumbai-based Reliance Industries, announced its tie-up with Williams-Sonoma to bring the furnishings major’s brands to India. The US retailer’s first Indian store will open in Mumbai in 2020, the companies said in a  statement. Reliance will retail Williams-Sonoma’s popular brands Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Pottery Barn Kids, which will also be sold online.

Publication: Quartz India (Online)

Date: November 16, 2018

Swedish furniture brand IKEA will turn rice straw into a renewable material source for the IKEA products in a bid to stop crop burning, all telecom operators, except Reliance Jio, failed to meet call drop benchmark in drive test andother business stories.

Publication: Business Today (Online)

Date: November 16, 2018

The festive season, across the globe, is marked by family get-togethers, home-cooked food, vacations and loads of shopping! The scene is no different in India. Despite the diverse geographies, socio-economic factors and customer preferences, India stands united in its collective obsession of going on a binged shopping spree during the festive season.

Publication: The Economic Times (Online)

Date: November 15, 2018

China’s experiments in shopping are moving into high gear. The world needs to pay attention. Consider Alibaba, the Chinese Internet giant whose wide-ranging businesses span e-commerce, offline retail, fintech, online video, maps and browsers, and artificial intelligence. By the third quarter of 2017, Alibaba’s business model appeared to have reached peak fruition, as the company took pole position as the world’s largest e-commerce platform (by a factor of at least 2x Amazon), but was also third in digital advertising, just behind Google and Facebook.

Publication: Forbes (Online)

Date: November 16, 2018

Online furniture brand Pepperfry has entered into a partnership with Bajaj Finserv Limited to provide ‘No-cost EMI’ financing for its customers. This method of payment will be available to all Bajaj Finserv cardholders for all products being sold on Pepperfry.com with a minimum value of `7,500 for a tenure of three-to-five months.

Publication: The New Indian Express (Online)

Date: November 15, 2018

2019, is fast approaching and this is the perfect time to look back at the year gone by and look forward to the new year. This is the time to plan afresh and keep an eye out for upcoming business trends. With increasing penetration of the internet, it is imperative that you take your business to the next level.

Publication: Entrepreneur (Online)

Date: November 15, 2018

E-commerce’s contribution to the total FMCG sales is expected to be 11 per cent by 2030, according to market research firm Nielsen. E-commerce contributed 0.4 per cent to FMCG sales in 2016 and in 2018 it is expected to be around 1.3 per cent of the branded packaged FMCG sales.

Publication: The Economic Times (Online)

Date: November 15, 2018

A vast consumer market and government initiatives to promote manufacturing and digital penetration provide huge opportunities for Swedish companies to invest in India, an Indian official said Monday.

Publication: Business Standard (Online)

Date: November 14, 2018

The e-commerce industry in India has seen exponential growth in a relatively short period of time. The industry has now reached a phase where the established players in specific sectors are looking to consolidate their position, and achieve long-term success.

Publication: YourStory (Online)

Date: November 12, 2018

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba sold a record $30.8 billion worth of products on its 24-hour Singles’ Day sale. The numbers were 27 percent higher as compared to the $24 billion of gross merchandise value (GMV) of sales last year.

Publication: Money Control (Online)

Date: November 12, 2018

Several ecommerce companies have likely missed the November 10 deadline to deposit a part of the taxes due from their sellers, now mandatory under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), because of hurdles posed by various state governments. The ecommerce companies would likely become liable to pay interest as well as heavy penalties as a result, tax experts said.

Publication: The Economic Times (Online)

Date: November 12, 2018

The crunch of autumn leaves under the forester’s boot on his uphill hike sounds like a mouthful of cornflakes. The marcare ciocan (marking hammer) rests against the thin beech tree, and Florin Marzac, balancing a pile of files, stands nearby talking about Romania’s forest management plan. This is in the Maramures forests in northwest Romania.

Publication: The New Indian Express (Online)

Date: November 11, 2018

Ikea in India is being careful about not making the mistake it made in China. Price its products too high. The Swedish home furnishing company, which opened its first India store in Hyderabad in August, is focused on two things: localisation and competitive prices. The 7,500 products it offers are priced more affordably than it is elsewhere. In Ikea’s India website, a Friheten corner sofa-bed with storage is tagged at about Rs 37,500 while the same is sold in the UK for about Rs 43,000.

Publication: Times of India (Online)

Date: November 10, 2018

Ben Gorham went the roll call for the announcements at IKEA’s Democratic Design Days 2018. Amongst these stalwarts was Akanksha Deo, the Swedish furniture giant’s first Indian designer, who popped up on their radar while she was still a student at New Delhi’s National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

Publication: Architectual Digest (Online)

Date: November 9, 2018

The country’s first IKEA store opened its doors in Hyderabad in August. It wasn’t what you’d call a peaceful, orderly event. There’s a video clip that shows a huge crowd corralled behind metal barriers, surging forward when the doors open, shouting, pushing and shoving. Some people take advantage of the chaos to elbow ahead of others. A woman is seen turning around to scold a man behind her. A few uniformed IKEA employees try their best to control the mob, but they are ineffective at best; one is actually pushed backward by the pressing crowd before he manages to move forward.

Publication: Live Mint (Online)

Date: November 8, 2018

Anna-Carin Månsson is the Country People & Culture manager for IKEA India. She has 23 years of experience within IKEA in different HR manager positions of IKEA business in China, Sweden, UK, Russia and Poland. BusinessLine spoke with her on the sidelines of the recent announcement by it that it would enable 10,000 jobs as it opens a store in Mumbai in 2019.

Publication: The Hindu Business Line (Online)

Date: November 7, 2018

IKEA scouting for land in Noida to establish its store.

Publication: Times of India (Online)

Date: November 7, 2018

Colour has the ability to transform a space and depict the style and personality of individuals living in a home. While bright bursts of colour have made their way into our wardrobes courtesy catwalk cues, why not introduce them to homes as well?

Publication: Outlook (Online)

Date: November 6, 2018

With the festive season well and truly upon us, Indian etailers are giving customers a reason to celebrate with whopping discounts, never-before deals, and easy payment options. It’s interesting to see who will win the online Diwali discount war. In this golden season for ecommerce, giants like Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal have already announced a “third wave” of bumper sales. While Flipkart started its ‘Big Diwali Sale’ on November 1, rival Amazon kicked offa day later, announcing the Great Indian Sale on the midnight of November 2. Both players will be ending sales on November 5.

Publication: YourStory (Online)

Date: November 5, 2018

Furniture & Home Products marketplace, Pepperfry.com, have launched their second television commercial in continuation to their, “Diwali Toh Sab Ke Liye Hai” (Diwali is for everyone) campaign. The brand celebrates the festive spirit through this campaign by showcasing that it has something for every home, thus sparking a feeling called home in consumers’ hearts.

Publication: Exchange 4 Media (Online)

Date: November 5, 2018

After celebrating a smashing debut of its flagship store in Hyderabad earlier this year, IKEA Hyderabad is all set to woo potential home buyers with its complete range of DIY home furnishing collection by hitting out at the home stretch. The furniture giant now plans on tying up with real estate developers to provide ‘model’ furnished homes that will showcase its own range of living room sets, bedroom sets, modular kitchens and more, in an attempt to increase visibility beyond the confines of its own store.

Publication: The Big Scope (Online)

Date: November 5, 2018

Swedish home furnishing giant IKEA is ready to expand its operations in India employing 10,000 people directly and indirectly with the launch of its second store in India. In order to maintain a gender equal workplace, the company plans on making sure that at least half of its hires are women. The store opening in India’ financial capital, Mumbai, is expected to be operational by 2019 and has opened its doors to hiring from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities as well.

Publication: Business Insider (Online)

Date: November 5, 2018

After opening its first store in the country in Hyderabad, international furniture and home accessories company IKEA has set its sights on Uttar Pradesh. Scouting for land for a store in Noida, the company has informed the government that it is proposing to invest more than Rs 5,000 crore in the state in the coming years through retail outlets and e-commerce.

Publication: Times of India (Online)

Date: November 5, 2018

ICICI Bank is providing a number of outstanding offers to its customers on this Diwali. The offers are applicable on debit cards, credit cards and internet banking users. Under the festive offers, ICICI Bank customers can avail cashbacks and discounts on various fashion brands as well as electronics including Samsung and LG products.

Publication: Zee Business (Online)

Date: November 4, 2018

Wabi-sabi might have gained attention as “the design trend of the year”, but architect and designer Ashiesh Shah baulks at this phrasing. “I don’t think of it as a trend, it’s a philosophy,” says Shah, whose own studio, with its uneven surfaces, traditional black-clay ceramics and muted tones, draws heavily from the restraint of wabi-sabi. The term, which originated in 15th century Japan as a corrective response to the opulent tea ceremonies of the time, loosely translates into a philosophy of celebrating imperfection, accepting impermanence and finding balance. In design terms, a wabi-sabi mood board involves judicious accessorizing, and an appreciation of rips and cracks.

Publication: Live Mint (Online)

Date: November 3, 2018

From luminous corks to lamps that double up as planters, discover new ways of seeing the light.

Publication: Live Mint (Online)

Date: November 2, 2018

Swedish furniture giant Ikea is planning to hire 10,000, both direct and indirect, in Maharashtra over the next two to three years, a senior company executive has said. The company opened its first store in Hyderabad in August this year and the Navi Mumbai will be the second store in the country. “Next year, we are opening the Navi Mumbai store, for which we are planning to recruit 5,000 directly and an equal number will be hired indirectly over the two to three years,” Ikea India’s people and culture manager Anna-Carin Mansson told PTI here.

Publication: Live Mint (Online)

Date: November 2, 2018

Swedish furniture giant Ikea is planning to hire 10,000, both direct and indirect, in Maharashtra over the next two to three years, a senior company executive has said. The company opened its first store in Hyderabad in August this year and the Navi Mumbai will be the second store in the country.

Publication: Business Standard (Online)

Date: November 2, 2018

Swedish furniture giant Ikea Ltd is looking to tie up with real estate developers in Hyderabad to display its fully furnished “show homes” in upcoming housing projects in order to give buyers an idea of how their homes would look with Ikea furniture, a company executive said.

Publication: Live Mint (Online)

Date: November 2, 2018

In a move to strengthen its core leadership team for new business expansion plans, Pepperfry.com has re-aligned its core leadership team and appointed new personnel at senior positions. Hussaine Kesury who was previously handling the Pepperfry furniture business has assumed a new role as the Chief Activation Officer and Mihir Kulkarni has been elevated to the position of Vice President to head Pepperfry’s furniture business. Additionally, Pepperfry also announced the appointment of Alok Varman as the Head of Pepperfry Studios and Ratika Bakshi, Category Head for New Business Expansions.

Publication: People Matters (Online)

Date: October 30, 2018

Diwali is one of the best times to decorate your home. When you want to change the look of your home both internally and externally, it is important that you pay attention to every corner of your home.

Publication: Times of India (Online)

Date: November 1, 2018