The history of IKEA: how Ingvar Kamprad built one of the largest retail chains in the world. IKEA brand history
Slogan: Home is the most important place in the world
Make a house a home
Improving everyday life for the majority
Affordable solutions for better living
Not for the rich but for the wise
A company that owns the largest retail chain selling furniture and various household goods. Products IKEA especially popular in Europe. It is believed that in the countries of Western Europe there is not a single house, not a single apartment, where it would not be possible to find something purchased in IKEA. And although it is believed that the furniture of this brand is not of very high quality, affordability determines its popularity.
The company was founded in 1943 when young entrepreneur Ingvar Kamprad founded the company IKEA, which sold writing instruments. He was 17 years old then. The name of the company is an abbreviation, which stands for the following: the initials of the creator ( I ngvar K amprad), to which Ingvar added the name of the farm on which he grew up ( E lmtaryd), located in the parish A gunnaryd (Agunnaryd), which is in southern Sweden. That is IKEA- This Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd.
To say that Ingvar was a talented businessman is to say nothing. It is no coincidence that he eventually became one of the richest people in the world with a multi-billion dollar fortune. With a lot of effort, he managed to promote his business. Nevertheless, the Second World War had little impact on Sweden, which was essentially an ally of both the Third Reich and its opponents. Military operations took place somewhere to the side, without interfering with the daily life of ordinary Swedes.
The range that the company sold was constantly expanding. Mainly due to all sorts of little things, like stationery, underwear and household chemicals. The idea to start making furniture came in 1948. And this furniture had to be inexpensive so that the average person with low income could afford it. Having thought about all this, Ingvar agreed with several small manufacturers who began to produce furniture to his order. Success came quickly; already in 1951, the businessman acquired a small factory, where he began to produce furniture on his own. At the same time, he began printing his first product catalogue.
And here we had to face the first problems. Furniture in those years was not a luxury, but a very expensive product. With his actions, Ingvar greatly interfered with other Swedish manufacturers. As a result, they managed to persuade logging companies to stop cooperating with IKEA. Anyone else would have given up. But not Ingvar! Having considered the current situation, he began to purchase the necessary components in Poland, while also benefiting in price. It was then that the idea was born to simplify the assembly and delivery of furniture as much as possible by making it prefabricated, like a kind of construction set. And although this required some effort on the part of consumers, they were satisfied, since it became much easier to deliver the purchase home, and its price dropped even more.
By the end of the 50s, IKEA stores began to appear throughout the country, where you could not only buy furniture and other goods, but also have a cup of coffee. And the prices were simply pleasing to the eyes. All the stores were large in size and located outside the city - Ingvar “spotted” this system from an American retail chain Cash & Carry.
By the early 60s, Ingvar realized that his company was ripe to enter the world market. The conquest began first of the neighboring Scandinavian countries, and then of all of Europe.
To date IKEA is one of the largest retail corporations. Its retail outlets are located in dozens of countries around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people work for it. Product catalogs are published in hundreds of millions of copies in various languages. The prices printed in them traditionally do not change throughout the year, regardless of any circumstances. Many shops IKEA operate under a franchise system.
Ingvar himself is no longer the owner of the empire he created, which has belonged to the Netherlands since 1982. INGKA Holding B.V., which is the parent company of a charitable (according to the poisonous statement of some journalists and analysts, a pseudo-charitable) foundation Stichting Ingka Foundation. It is believed that the reason he took this step is that Swedish taxes are too high. The company's head office is located in the Dutch province of South Holland (Zuid Holland) in Delft, a town located near Rotterdam. But in general, the structure of the holding is incredibly complex and confusing, it includes dozens of companies of different types from different founders. There is an opinion that such difficulties are deliberately created in order to minimize taxes.
Interesting fact:
Ingvar Kamprad went down in history not only as a businessman and billionaire, but also as a terrible curmudgeon who always dresses at sales, buys everything as cheaply as possible, and tries, whenever possible, to walk or ride a bicycle. He uses taxis only as a last resort and, they say, never leaves tips anywhere.
Section 1. IKEA: the story of the most famous European entrepreneur.
Chapter 2. MethodsIKEA (The IKEA way). Chapter 3. About the IKEA Group of Companies.
Section 4.Problems of IKEA in Russian regions. History of the issue.
Section 5.IKEA business principles.
Kamprad made the only right decision in this situation - to let customers into the warehouse. This is how IKEA accidentally came up with its signature formula: store-warehouse. Exactly with Kungens Kurva style work organization was determined finally and forever. Now every IKEA furniture store is a kind of exhibition center. Where not only sofas and wardrobes are displayed, but also any small household items: tablecloths, curtains, bedspreads, towels and candlesticks. Moreover, all this is placed as it should be in real life. Thus, a store visitor can first examine ten children's rooms in a row, and then twenty-five dining rooms or living rooms, and so on.
Having figured out how this or that model looks in a real interior, and having chosen the right one, you have to go to the warehouse to get it. In convenient packages, he transports the piece of furniture to his home and assembles it there on his own, reading clear and understandable instructions. IKEA’s consumer experience, like that of any other global brand, is contradictory. For example, the company has long been deservedly reproached for the imposed standardization of the situation - there is no talk of any individuality, which companies like to talk about. Of course, this irritates many people. The organization, however, has enough self-irony to joke about this topic. Before opening a store in a new country, companies always do a little research. They ask if customers like their furniture. And they always get the same result - absolutely no one likes IKEA furniture. This was the case in Italy, and in Germany, and in Russian Federation, and in other countries. The organization gets acquainted with these results and opens a store. As soon as it opens, the boom begins.
Overall, IKEA admits that the company has room to move. The organization thinks like this: a person buys furniture not only for himself, but also for his neighbors. He chooses inexpensive and functional furniture from IKEA. Places it in bedrooms, kitchens and children's rooms. Where he spends most of his time, and where it is not customary for outsiders to be allowed. But in the living room, in order to puff out their cheeks in front of their neighbors, they buy mahogany sets and leather sofas. We have conquered kitchens and bedrooms, they say at IKEA, now our task is to conquer the living rooms of our customers/
About the IKEA Group of Companies
IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad created a company and a company ownership structure that guarantees its integrity and independence. Therefore, since 1982, the IKEA Group has belonged to the foundation.
The IKEA group of companies controls all IKEA operations (activities of the Swedwood industrial group, distribution and warehouse maintenance), as well as organizations that own stores in countries around the world.
The Stichting INGKA Foundation belongs to the IKEA Group. INGKA holding B.V. - the founder of all divisions belonging to the IKEA Group of Companies. Both companies are located in Holland. The members of the board of directors are: Göran Grosskopf (chairman), Matthias Kamprad, Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, Göran Lindahl, Karl Wilhelm Ros, Bruno Winborg and Magdalena Herder. Ingvar Kamprad retired from running the Group in 1986 and is now a senior advisor.
The management of the IKEA Group includes: Mikael Ohlsson (and CEO), Ian Duffy, Søren Hansen, Pernilla Lopez, Helen Dupont, Thorbjörn Löof, Noel Wijsmans, Göran Stark and Werner Weber.
IKEA Services B.V. and IKEA Services AB are nine divisions located in Holland and Sweden, which support all activities of the IKEA Group. Division Inter IKEA Systems B.V. provides franchises to IKEA stores.
IKEA has stores in 44 countries, most of which are owned by the IKEA Group (franchise holder). About 40 IKEA stores in 15 countries around the world are operated by franchisees who are not part of the IKEA Group.
KEA is one of the leading home furnishings retailers with 325 stores in 40 countries, reaching 734 million visitors a year. There are 11 stores in Canada alone that attract more than 25 million visitors a year. Last year, IKEA.com sites attracted 904 million visitors. The organization was founded in 1943 and its business philosophy is to provide a wide range of products of good design and functionality at prices that most people can afford.
1 million a person visits IKEA every day.
3.5 visits per year for the average IKEA buyer.
28 million"BILLY" shelves sold since 1978
42 years- average age of IKEA consumers.
60% IKEA visitors are women.
150 million meatballs are served annually in IKEA restaurants.
10 thousand product names are exhibited at IKEA.
365 million people visited IKEA last year (2007).
Maximum economy everywhere and in everything is the general strategic line of the organization from the first days and throughout its existence. Savings begin with the development of models of future branded products, which IKEA designers work in direct contact with manufacturers to avoid multiple adjustments. It continues as suppliers search for the most suitable options for raw materials and materials in terms of cost and quality ratio, their wholesale purchase for the entire batch planned for release, includes everything processes manufacturing of trade items is almost always serial and in-line, with maximum optimization and automation of technological operations. Finally, it ends in IKEA stores, where the practice of “self-service warehouses” is widespread, from which customers independently pick up furniture disassembled and packed in flat boxes.
Ingvar Kamprad himself revealed in one of his interviews politics pricing at IKEA. A family with an average or lower average income is taken into account. It is calculated how much she is able to spend on home improvement and on each pillow or floor lamp separately. In this way, the optimal cost of each item is determined. Next, the company’s specialists create its technical description and see which supplier can ensure its high-quality implementation within the budget. Sometimes managers of an organization help the manufacturer master new technology. Perhaps today such a technique no longer surprises anyone, but when IKEA started, it seemed like a revolution.
IKEA, in a sense, is also a symbol of economic stability. Prices for goods approved and published in the seasonal catalog do not change throughout the year. The only thing that can change them is discounts as part of regular sales that the organization holds.
IKEA has become famous for its ability to make a product from almost any waste from other industries. For example, one of the storage systems for household items is created from recycled milk containers, and some tables use reddish-brown birch heartwood, which other furniture manufacturers do not work with. It is said that in the 1990s, IKEA released a series of picture frames made exclusively from waste from the Volvo plant... The company calls this approach innovative.
Thrift is an element of the company's business strategy and the main quality of its founder. With the blessing of Ingvar Kamprad, the concept of luxury is absent at IKEA. Top managers fly to business meetings in economy class and stay in inexpensive hotels. Kamprad himself drinks expensive drinks from the hotel minibar, if only later he can replace them with cheaper ones bought in the nearest supermarket. The billionaire allegedly does not shun magazine coupons for free parking and often uses public transport. It is not surprising that employees of the organization act as free models during the filming of the annual IKEA catalogue.
The founder amazes those around him with his outward modesty and teaches: “money spoils a person. They should be used as resources for investment, not as a means to satisfy whims." In 2006, the Swedish press named Kamprad the richest man on the planet, surpassing Bill Yates himself, but IKEA’s intricate ownership system does not allow an accurate calculation of the Swedish entrepreneur’s assets, so the sensation is not documented.
Kamprad’s economy is not coquetry, flirting with the people - they say, I’m no better than you. This is a life credo and at the same time part of the IKEA philosophy. “Every crown is a crown,” Kamprad likes to say, that is, “saves the ruble.” In his opinion, many techniques of designers - super fashionable and modern - make furniture more expensive and, therefore, inaccessible to the general public. That is why IKEA designers must have an understanding of the entire furniture production chain - from the idea to the delivery of the finished product to the store and from there to the buyer. This helps the designer understand process pricing, and prices, in turn, should be as low as possible. This is why IKEA furniture is sold as semi-finished products that are assembled by buyers at home. This reduces the cost of storage and transportation. For the sake of the same savings, design centers serve everyone markets IKEA. Orders for furniture production are placed all over the world - wherever it is cheaper.
“IKEA’s business philosophy is defined by one golden rule: treat every problem as an opportunity. Challenges provide amazing opportunities. When we were prohibited from buying the same furniture that was made for others, we began to come up with our own designs, and we developed our own style. When we lost suppliers in our country, the rest of the world opened up to us,” recalls Kamprad.
Thus, at the initial stage of activity, the organization survived by extracting new opportunities from problems. Since then, he considers problems to be the engine of progress and becomes wary when IKEA's existence seems too bleak.
According to Ingvar Kamprad, any business should remain in touch with its roots. Therefore, every employee of the IKEA “family” of thousands scattered around the world knows by heart the saga of the birth of the company. Its headquarters are located not in fashionable Stockholm, but in the village of Elmhult, where the first furniture pavilion was opened in 1953. There is also a museum where you can learn about the milestones of her business journey. For IKEA, historical heritage is an integral component of the success of its corporate culture and business philosophy, on which more than one generation has been raised managers and ordinary workers.
Researchers say teams and organizations driven by a great idea are more productive, even if their ultimate goal is to make money. IKEA was initially guided by a high idea, encapsulated in the slogan “A better life for many.” Ingvar Kamprad wanted people all over the world to be able to buy beautiful furniture and home decor, and this desire turned into a mission. British magazine Icon wrote: “If it weren’t for IKEA, modern home design would be out of reach for most people.” And Icon called Kamprad himself “the person who had the most powerful influence on consumer tastes.” In Sweden they say that IKEA and Kamprad have done more for society than many politicians...
Kamprad, who never received a higher education, created a well-established global business mechanism. The company willingly advertises “interesting statistics”: the total area of its stores is equal to the area of almost 600 football fields, its catalogs are printed in a circulation exceeding the circulation of the Bible, every tenth European can consider IKEA beds to be the place of their conception. The company has become a symbol of good taste and striving for the best, an indicator of the long-awaited belonging to the prosperous middle class for many.
The company spares no expense or ingenuity to carry out all kinds of promotions. She generously gives out bonuses worth hundreds and thousands of dollars to the first buyers of new stores, and regularly holds auctions with extraordinary creative tasks. For example, before the opening, several customers are invited to live in the store for two or three days, then each of them writes an essay on the topic “Why am I worthy of a prize?” This is how IKEA became part of the cultural life of society: its events attract crowds of like-minded people who communicate and have fun, feeling that they belong to a single microcosm. Several thousand people gathered for the opening of the store in Atlanta in June 2005 - they brought tents, grills, music and expected a joyful event in a carnival atmosphere. Unfortunately, there is also the “other side of the coin” - during moments of excitement there was often a crush, leading to serious consequences, but this only confirms that IKEA mania is real fanaticism.
The tireless cultivation of “indigenous” values has led to the fact that all the company’s employees are faithful followers of the IKEA cult: they are workaholics, enthusiasts and “missionaries.” The corporate culture is not entirely clear to outsiders. For example, the company’s employees are not embarrassed by the fact that top executives do not receive any privileges and that senior management is always ready to take direct part in the work of the “lower-level.” The organization regularly holds “anti-bureaucracy weeks”, during which managers work, for example, as sales assistants or cashiers. CEO Anders Dahlvig simply says: “Recently I was unloading cars, selling beds and mattresses.”
There is a tough relationship between employees. Everyone should try to become the best, while improving the performance of the entire company. On the wall of one of IKEA's main offices in Helsingborg hangs a giant poster that shows weekly sales rates and volumes, the best market indicators by country. promotes the principle of self-improvement and self-demandingness.
But the main thing is that the organization recognizes the right of employees to make mistakes. In the 1970s, IKEA opened in Denmark, which almost went bankrupt. When asked by a journalist whether the head of the bank would be fired, Kamprad replied: “No. This person has gained useful experience, why would he apply it to another organization?
Despite its commitment to tradition, the company promotes and encourages innovative approaches. According to Kamprad himself, “he tries to act differently from what is customary. And so far it has been successful.” IKEA, for example, was one of the first to use images of same-sex couples in its advertising.
The future existence of IKEA cannot be called cloudless: the aging population of developed countries does not experience the due delight in “simple and modern” design, but market Rivals with similar products are actively promoting: Italian Argos, Danish Ilva. In addition, traditional trade is threatened by the boom in online shopping. However, IKEA is not afraid of this: its stores offer the buyer an irreplaceable visual and tactile experience and real pleasure from spending time. IKEA counters the other “threats” with an unprecedented emotional response in the hearts of millions of customers around the world. And this, according to IKEA management, is much more important than market share indicators.
IKEA (IKEA) is
Ikea- Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Création 1943 à Älmhult (Suède) Fondateurs Ingvar Kampr … Wikipédia en Français
“How much would you pay for this?”
I. Kamprad
Brand IKEA is famous throughout the world for its low prices and legendary cost-effectiveness system, which is constantly being improved. Its corporate culture and market positioning are praised by many seasoned marketers and branding specialists. Everything that is called IKEA today is directly related to the life, aspirations and personal qualities of one person. This is Ingvar Kamprad.
Biography of Ingvar Kamprad.
He was born in a Swedish town called Elmhult and grew up in a now world-famous place called Småland. Residents of this particular part of Sweden are known as thrifty, hardworking and at the same time creative people. This is due to both living conditions and the history of the area.
There were businessmen in the Kamprad family before Ingvar, and even one tragic story associated with unsuccessful entrepreneurship. Ingvar's grandfather took his own life because he was unable to pay off huge loans taken out for business needs.
Little Ingvar showed great interest in trade
from a very early age: from about the age of five he began selling matches, and at an older age he took up trading in a variety of areas. Thus, the future founder of a world-famous company sold seeds, fish, lingonberries, so popular and beloved in Sweden, and Christmas cards. To be fair, it should be said that this, in fact, is the entire education of Ingvar Kamprad. He never studied business and marketing, did not read specialized literature or attend special classes on this topic, Ingvar does not have a higher education at all. Everything he knows is based solely on his wealth of experience, his own mistakes and a very, very attentive attitude towards the world and people.
Founding of IKEA.
In a difficult time for the whole world, in 1943, Ingvar founded his company, remarkable in all respects - IKEA. The company sold fountain pens. Wait, laugh, for the mid-twentieth century this was a truly innovative product. So, in Russia at that time they still wrote with pens, and the “automatic pen” was a foreign curiosity, not accessible to everyone. Ingvar supplied pens from France, and organized his company only because the supplier stated such a need to continue full-fledged cooperation. Ingvar was only 17 years old, and he could not register a company due to his young age and lack of funds.
If we are talking about furniture, we can easily mention the one that is used only by billionaires and kings and queens.
The young Swede, as expected, was helped by his father.
And in the future, Ingvar’s theme of family, the theme of the Motherland will always permeate such a field, seemingly far from all kinds of sentimentality, as trade.
Self the name IKEA is an abbreviation of the first letters. Let's see what the young Swede included in the name of his brainchild? The first pair of letters is Kamprad’s first and last name, the third letter denotes the company of his grandfather and father, and the last is the church parish where Ingvar prayed and confessed.
Sales of fountain pens grew, and after a couple of years Kamprad was able to advertise in local publications, which was very important for the further development of the business.
How did the IKEA business idea we see now come about?
In the late forties, Ingvar's attention was attracted by the fact that in Sweden furniture was unusually expensive and therefore inaccessible to many segments of the population. And the enterprising Kamprad felt the beating of the golden key. He decided to correct the situation in the market of a small but proud country and turned IKEA into a furniture store. Initially, IKEA bought the cheapest chairs and tables. However, Ingvard gave his name to each item, which was an innovative solution in those days. This simple marketing ploy allowed the company to differentiate itself from its competitors in a short time. Besides, the best advertising is word of mouth, and word of a store of fabulously cheap furniture quickly spread throughout the city.
The high sales volume very quickly allowed Ingvar to purchase his own furniture factory.
Already in 1951, the Swedish plant IKEA began producing sensationally cheap furniture. In a country where furniture products were almost a luxury item, such a strategic move was like the effect of a bomb exploding. It became almost impossible to compete fairly with the enlarged IKEA company, and the furniture dealers' association began to put pressure on local suppliers who worked with IKEA. Using power, persuasion and bribery, they managed to force them to boycott such an impudent and successful company. In the course of the story, I will note that today the IKEA company does not give bribes as a matter of principle and declares this publicly.
IKEA may be one of the largest in the world, but still not
So, such a harsh boycott for an ordinary person would be a heavy blow from which he might not be able to recover. But Kamprad was not like that. For him, in spite of all the machinations of his enemies, this was only a reason to search for new opportunities and further development. Now Ingvar purchases the lion's share of furniture parts in Poland. This further reduces costs, despite the fact that transportation is also required.
Elimination of delivery and simplification of furniture assembly is a new breakthrough for the company.
IKEA's next move, aimed at reducing costs and lowering the final price of the product, was to refuse to deliver furniture. Now this was done exclusively by the buyers themselves. At the same time, the assembly of IKEA furniture is amazingly simple; Igvar paid a lot of attention to this particular design feature when designing furniture. Even a completely ignorant person can easily assemble an IKEA chair or table, armed only with simple tools like a screwdriver, detailed instructions and a burning desire to save money.
Cover of the IKEA catalog for 2011.
All these events led to the fact that 4 years after the opening of Kamprad’s furniture store, a printed catalog was published with images of IKEA products and prices set for the goods. Then, just like today, it was simply thrown into mailboxes.
Only then - Sweden, and today - the whole world.
The law, which Ingvar Kamprad established once and for all, says: you cannot sell things above the price indicated in the catalog throughout the entire year. Cheaper - possible. More expensive - no, no.
In 1952, at the annual Stockholm fair, Ingvar Kamprad first introduced furniture to the general public at surprisingly low prices, and it shocked Sweden. Then Kamprad went to America, where he saw Cash & Carry stores, traditionally located in the suburbs in the United States. And Kamprad said: “I have an idea!” It was then that the company we know now was born in his mind. He correctly reasoned that the future of world transport lies in personal cars; most people will be able to go to nearby suburbs to purchase inexpensive and relatively high-quality furniture. The stores are organized like huge warehouses, where some of the products can be picked up yourself, without involving the store staff or using them to a minimum. Thus, first in Stockholm, then in Ingvar’s small homeland, and subsequently all over the world, stores with yellow and blue signs - IKEA - opened.
Attitude towards the buyer.
Despite all the cheapness of goods in Kamprad's stores, it cannot be said that they are ugly, uncomfortable or do not care about customers. Yes, sparkling wine is not served in tall glasses, but there is a place where you can leave the child, where you can have a snack, not too tasty, I must say, but satisfying and inexpensive. Delivery and assembly available. In short, any whim for your money. But nothing is forced. And even (in what other store is this possible?) there is a huge poster hanging, saying, if you change your mind, no problem!
We will take our goods back!
It must be said that Ingvar himself was known as one of the stingiest people in the world. Still would! Being a billionaire, he surprised the world community by traveling by public transport, having the simplest house, and when traveling abroad, he lived in three-star hotels and ate in inexpensive cafes. Let us note that a person who strives to help nature and people simply does not deserve to be accused of stinginess. He calls attentiveness and observation one of his main qualities that influenced business. Tell me, how can you be considerate of the middle class by staying in a penthouse and dining in places where one dish costs as much as a mid-range entrepreneur's car? That's right, no way. Therefore, spiteful critics, keep your hands off Ingvar Kamprad!
Ingvar Kamprad - our days.
The creator of IKEA is Ingvard Kampard.
Yes, even at the age of seventy, he visits up to twenty stores a day to study the problem of whether the quality of a product matches the price at which it is offered. His favorite question to ask buyers is: “How much would you pay for this?” Yes, Ingvar to this day loves public speaking with pulling garbage out of the trash can and talking about how this item could be put to use! And at the same time, he is not at all a crazy old man, but a genius who has found his niche and skillfully changes the world for the better.
The result is obvious - prices at IKEA are 20-30% lower than those of competitors.
A simple white pass-through shelving unit has been successfully sold in all countries for twenty years - fact!
Currently, the company is run by Ingvar’s sons, and his business is alive, as you can see by simply looking at your mailbox from time to time. But not Should we go to IKEA? on the weekend?
Anyone who has been to IKEA knows that there you can get free writing instruments and donate batteries. But there are pens that are not just given away in stores, but are sold at very reputable auctions.
Video: Megafactories - IKEA
IKEA is by far the world's most popular retail chain selling furniture and home goods. Founded back in 1943 by a seventeen-year-old Swedish boy, the store has grown into a giant company with revenue of almost €32 billion in 2015. Today, IKEA has more than 380 stores in 48 countries. Our review contains little-known and very interesting facts about this company.
1. Wood for IKEA
IKEA buys and uses about 1% of all commercial wood produced in the world. This makes this retailer the third largest consumer of wood on the planet (the first two places are occupied by Lowe's and Home Depot).
2. Special taxes for IKEA
IKEA pays one of the lowest tax rates in the world - just 3.5%. This is because the chain of stores is technically owned by a Dutch company, which in turn is owned by a Dutch non-profit organization.
3. The most successful entrepreneur is the founder of IKEA
IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad is the most successful entrepreneur in Swedish history. After selling matchboxes, pens and nylon stockings as a child, Kamprad founded IKEA as a mail-order company.
4. Annual price reduction
Increased efficiency allows IKEA to actually lower prices every year, rather than every other year, as many other retailers do. On average, prices at IKEA fall by about 2-3% per year.
5. IKEA product names
Many may have noticed the unusual names of IKEA furniture. In fact, the chain has its own pattern in furniture names: garden furniture is named after the Swedish islands, rugs are named after Danish place names, and fabrics and curtains are named after women's names.
6. Vase or glass?
When entering the American market, IKEA was faced with the fact that their small flower vases became one of the most popular and best-selling products. After conducting research into why the vases sold so well, it turned out that American consumers were using them as large drinking glasses.
7. IKEA City
IKEA is such a huge company that it decided to build its own city near London. It will be able to accommodate 6,000 people, and all housing (as well as shops, schools and theaters) will be equipped with IKEA furniture.
8. Sales geography
International stores often sell certain products in different countries. But the IKEA range is so popular all over the world that 85% of the company's products are sold in any store in any country.
9. What is IKEA
The company name IKEA is an acronym. It is a combination of the initials of its founder Ingvar Kamprad (IK), the first letter of the name of the farm where he grew up - Elmtaryd (E) and the first letter of his hometown Agunnaryd (A).
10. The largest IKEA store
The largest IKEA store in the world is located in Stockholm. Its area is more than 55,000 square meters. The next four largest stores are in China.
11. Features of Chinese IKEA
Visitors to IKEA in China may be surprised to see people sleeping in the store. Chinese buyers can literally test the products by dozing on mattresses and chairs. Local employees do not wake them up until they need to sell what visitors are peacefully sleeping on.
12. IKEA virtual reality
The IKEA virtual reality program is available on the gaming platform Steam. People can download it and check out the new IKEA kitchen from the comfort of their couch.13. IKEA also serves food.
Although the company's main business is furniture, IKEA earned $2 billion from food sales in 2012. The reason why IKEA sells food is not trivial. Kamprad once saw people visiting a store and leaving without buying anything because they were hungry.
14. Death by certificate
Sometimes, when a new IKEA store opens, the first customers are given $150 worth of shopping vouchers. This led to the death of three people in a stampede at the opening of the store in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
15. Mind-blowing circulations
The IKEA catalog is printed every year in a circulation twice as large as the Bible. Approximately 212 million copies are published in 29 different languages. The IKEA catalog spends 70% of the company's marketing budget.
We have collected especially for those who decided to transform their own interior.
