IKEA, the Swedish furniture retail company opened their first store in Hyderabad on Thursday. People thronged the store way before its opening and waited patiently in queues. The store welcomed their guests warmly amidst cheers much to the delight of the people. Meanwhile, customers caused traffic snarl on the roads leading to the IKEA store in the city. Photos of a jam-packed road going to the store have gone viral on social media. Handling heavy traffic became almost difficult and the situation remained the same throughout the day and night.

While not everyone on the road was heading to IKEA, traffic moved a snail's pace giving a tough time to others too. People stuck in traffic took to social media saying that a 40-minute drive became a two-hour journey. While some said traffic advisory should have been issued, others blamed IKEA for choosing the prime location and adding to traffic woes. While others commented on the poor urban planning that caused the delay. IKEA Opens Their First Indian Store in Hyderabad: Check Out Pics of Their Stylish Instagram Perfect Interiors!

Here is the photo of the road leading to IKEA store in Hyderabad on the day of its opening:

This was scene in the morning outside the store before its opening.

They will be operational from 10 am to 11 pm every day of the year.

Their restaurant can accommodate nearly a thousand people making it their biggest in-store restaurants worldwide.

Speaking to ANI, IKEA's food manager for India, Henrik Osterstrom, said, "I am super delighted that finally, the store has opened, we were working on it since 2013. We have decided that food is important for IKEA and it is important for India as well, so that's why we have the biggest restaurant in the Hyderabad store." IKEA Opens First Indian Store in Hyderabad: Stampede-Like Situation Arises As People Throng to Enter the Swedish Furniture Outlet

"We have two kinds of dishes available; one is with the unique Swedish identity and local dishes from India. Everyone in Hyderabad likes biryani so we included that, along with dal makhani, samosas and other things as well," he added.

The Hyderabad store is spread over 13 acres of land and has a built-up area of 4 lakh sq ft. It has over 7,500 products.

John Achillea, IKEA's Managing Director for Telangana said, "I am so excited today, we can see so many customers visiting in the building. It's just a phenomenal feeling. We have every product under one roof, so whether you are looking for a sofa, bed, children's furniture, or home accessories for every room, it's all under one roof." IKEA’s next store will open in Navi Mumbai in 2019, followed by Bengaluru and Delhi. In the next phase, IKEA would cover Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Chennai and Kolkatta.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 10, 2018 04:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).