As Amol Sharma and Jens Hansegard report in the Wall Street Journal, Ikea has plans to expand into India, due to the vast potential of that market and the change in Indian regulations: “Swedish furniture giant Ikea Group asked India for permission to invest €1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) in the country to set up 25 stores in coming years, bringing some relief to New Delhi policy makers, as they try to bolster foreign investors’ sagging sentiment. Ikea’s foray into India, made possible by a policy change last year that allows some retailers to own 100 percent of their Indian units, could help transform India’s largely unorganized $500 billion retail sector. But the company will face significant challenges, including meeting the government’s mandate that it source 30 percent of inventory from small-scale local industries.”

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 An Ikea store in Sweden.

Photo by Bloomberg