A ₹100 dal from Amritsar is IKEA Deputy CEO's favourite Indian dish

As IKEA looks to double its business in India, the Swedish company has made substantial commitments too. In an exclusive conversation with CNBC-TV18, Deputy CEO and CFO at Ingka Group and IKEA Juvencio Maeztu shared his passion for food and how IKEA restaurants are a crowd-puller for its stores that make furniture shopping fun for the family.

Speaking to the CNB-TV18, Maeztu said, "India loves food and India loves IKEA food. Around 99% of the food we sell in India is locally sourced. The price point is amazing. The price point of samosa and ice-cream is Rs 10-15, which is fantastic." We don't have a plant-based agenda. More than a third of our food is plant based and it will grow to 50%. So, it is the same price, but has a much lower carbon footprint, which matches well with India."

"It is not that IKEA customers are hungry; IKEA restaurants are a visitation driver. People come to IKEA for food and sometimes they buy furniture. So it is a fun day out. That is why we are developing both, it is not only about shopping online, it's an experience – a fun day out. We don’t sell products, we sell solutions to solve dreams and needs. So, when you go to an IKEA store, you need dreams and then you find solutions and at the same time a fantastic family day out."

"I was taking with a friend of mine about what is my top 10 kind of foods in the world as I travel to many countries of the world and three of them are in India. The one that might surprise you the most is dal in a very small place which is walking distance from the Golden Temple in Amritsar for Rs 100 in a metal plate and that is my number one food item on my menu."

Speaking about IKEA's India plans, Maeztu highlighted the country's tremendous potential and said, "India has a fantastic opportunity to be a manufacturing hub for the entire world, with the value of sourcing estimated to be more than Rs 5,000 crore". This, he says the company could double.

IKEA had set up a global operations centre in Bengaluru in 2020 and at the time said this would be the focal point for digital development, innovation and operations. Maeztu noted that the operation in Bengaluru is exporting financial, digital, and HR services.

As part of its digital strategy, this hub, Maeztu said is developing digital capabilities in India that are being implemented in India and elsewhere. Maeztu adds that the new development of the ‘app of the future’ is also happening here to make shopping a 'seamless and fester' process. "So that's how the digital hub in Bangalore is feeding IKEA's global operations."