- Amid the chaos created by Corona Virus Outbreak IKEA has decided to shut down the only store in Hyderabad temporarily.
On Thursday, the Swedish retailer IKEA said it would shut down its first and only store in the world, in the city of Hyderabad, starting on 20 March amid the country Covid-19 outbreak as it takes precautionary steps to protect employees and customers.
However, consumers in the town will be able to shop online. The retailer who opened their store in Hyderabad city in 2018 said the store would remain closed until further notice. With this, India becomes the latest country where the retailer of Swedish furniture has shut down its large-format stores that draw massive crowds of shoppers.
“We’ve been listening to the advice from the Indian government, recommendations from our global community and customer and co-worker feedback. We’ve taken a routine and hour-by-hour approach, improving our evaluations and decisions as new knowledge becomes available. We’re assessing and taking decisions based on the local situation. The customers can still buy online, he said.
Ikea said that its Indian workers who will continue to help online fulfillment will have good steps and hygiene standards to ensure that the work environment is healthy and sanitized and that they operate at a secure social distance.
Also, its employees in its offices are currently working from home “to protect our IKEA country operations and essential capabilities.” It has also guided all its employees (who are dependent on public transport) to work from home in Navi Mumbai IKEA, where a new IKEA store is coming up. “We will continue the discussion about how best to preserve the well-being of our colleagues while allowing the continuation of our work and ambitions.”
Globally, the Covid-19 outbreak has prompted the company to temporarily shut down its large-format stores in heavily affected countries including Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.
IKEA stores in the area are slowly reopening in China, where the situation is increasingly improving.
