The IKEA store in Hyderabad will be closed from 18 July, Saturday, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Swedish furniture-maker in a statement said that home delivery and 'Click and Collect' service from the store would remain functional.
“In the light of the current COVID-19 situation and to strengthen the safety and well-being of our co-workers and customers, we want to take all our experiences and learnings during the last weeks and to further build a safer and even better shopping experience in our store. In order to do this in a responsible way, we will close our store for our customers,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IKEA India, Peter Betzel, said in a statement.
"We are aiming to re-open soon, to meet all our customers in an even stronger and inspiring manner," he added.
The IKEA store had shut in March after the announcement of the nation-wide lockdown. In May, it resumed its online services and in June, reopened its store, with guidelines to tackle the coronavirus in place.
IKEA India said that the safety and well-being of its co-workers would remain its highest priority.
"We continue to remain open for all your home furnishing needs, through our online store. You can continue to shop with ikea.in... In addition, we would like to announce that our 'click and collect' service will be free during the period that the store remains closed," the statement added.
Under the 'Click and Collect' service, customers can order IKEA products on the website and pay online, following which they could collect their product from the store's car parking area, once they're notified via text or email.
Telangana has reported 42,496 cases of COVID-19 so far, of which 13,389 are active. Hyderabad reported 806 cases on Friday.
"In the light of the current COVID-19 situation and to strengthen the safety and well-being of our co-workers and customers, we want to take all our experiences and learnings during the last weeks and to further build a safer and even better shopping experience in our store. In order to do this in a responsible way, we will close our store for our customers," Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IKEA India, Peter Betzel, said in a statement.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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