IKEA enters Tamil Nadu with deliveries of online purchases

Patrik Antoni, CEO, IKEA India and Bhavana Jaiswal, Country E-commerce Integration Manager at a press conference in Chennai | Photo credit: BIJOY GHOSH

However, the state’s wait for its own IKEA store may have to continue as the company has not ruled out the possibility of setting up a physical store in Chennai. But it did not share the specifics of such a store and the timeline for its launch.

About 25,000 customers from Chennai are already part of the IKEA Family community. IKEA said it has a delivery time of 3 to 7 days in Tamil Nadu, long-term warranties ranging from 5 to 25 years, and a 365-day returns policy. All orders in Tamil Nadu are fulfilled through the Bengaluru distribution network.

Patrik Antoni, CEO of IKEA India, said the company has been eyeing the Chennai market since 2015 and IKEA resonates with the mix of tradition and modernity in Tamil Nadu. “We see India as one of the most potential markets for IKEA in the world. Its economic development and fantastic demographics make it a market where IKEA will grow in the coming years and we have a long-term perspective here,” he said.

enlargement of the eyes

He noted that the company is currently 30 percent sourced from India and is looking to expand this.

With the online segment contributing to around 30 percent of IKEA’s sales in India, Antoni also sees the omnichannel approach working better in India. The expansion strategy will include a mix of physical stores (large and small), e-commerce and other channels, he said.

Bhavana Jaiswal, Country E-commerce Integration Manager, IKEA India, said that India’s 30 percent digital ratio is higher than Ikea’s global average, and in India they tend to take a ‘digital first, followed by a store opening’ approach. This also helps us open the stores armed with market information, she added.

In line with the company’s emphasis on sustainability, all last-mile deliveries in the region will be powered by electric vehicles.

Interestingly, the company is also trying to locate its stores near the metro stations or other public transport hubs in India. Sources said the investigation for such a location in Chennai is currently underway.

IKEA currently has a presence in four markets in India with three major stores in Hyderabad, Navi Mumbai and Bengaluru; two city stores in Worli and New Delhi; one Planning and Ordering Point in Bengaluru; and deliveries in Maharashtra (including Pune), AP-Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi-NCR, Agra, Prayagraj (Allahabad), Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Varanasi and Goa; with Tamil Nadu being the latest addition.

Published on January 20, 2026