Ikea's India debut tomorrow in Hyderabad, 6 mn shoppers expected annually

In a milestone that's been more than a decade in the making, India's first Ikea store will open Thursday, bringing inexpensive Nordic-inspired furnishings and food to the world’s fastest-growing middle class.

Ikea expects to welcome as many as 6 million visitors a year to its 13-acre complex in Hitec City, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, India’s fourth-biggest city. The 400,000-square-foot showroom contains some 7,500 products, of which about 1,000 will sell for less than 200 rupees ($2.91) apiece. It’s the first of 25 stores Ikea plans to open across the nation by 2025.

Ikea's launch comes at least 12 years after it