Ingvar Kamprad, a Swedish businessman who came up with the idea for a store full of functional furniture that’s easy to put together, built IKEA into one of the world’s best known brands, thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of his late son-in-law.
Ingvar Kamprad’s humble beginnings
He started his first business when he was just five years old.
- By the time he was 10, he was selling pens, pencils, seeds for flowers, and Christmas tree decorations.
- His dyslexic father inspired him to start IKEA, and he used money from a prize for doing well in school to start the company.
IKEA’s data today
Even through the pandemic, Ikea continues to grow
The first catalog: Cheap, chic, and convenient
Ingvar launched the iconic IKEA catalog in 1951
- The prices were so low that people were skeptical about the quality of the furniture, so Kamprad rented an old workshop into a showroom to display his furniture
- A few years later, Kamprad solved the problem of the expense of shipping large furniture when he took the legs of a coffee table so it could be packed flat
- From that point on, as many products as possible were packed in this manner
IKEA’s Worldwide Expansion
The first stores outside of Sweden were opened in Norway and Denmark in 1963 and 1969, respectively
- In 1970, the first store outside of Scandinavia opened in Japan and Australia, followed by more stores in countries like Japan, Australia, and Canada
- Today, there are 433 stores in 38 countries, Germany being the biggest market with 53 stores
