On the 28th of July 1943 Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in Sweden. 75 years have passed, and the company is now celebrating their anniversary with fans all over the world with a relaunch of the most beloved items.
The IKEA philosophy
The original idea of IKEA was to offer affordable furniture to the many people and not just the few. The concept has stayed with the company and through cost control, operational details and continuous product development, IKEA has managed to lover it’s prices by an average of 2-3 percent. In addition to the products, IKEA is also famous for their marketing campaigns and as a workplace that supports equality, offers benefits and has a culture of inclusion.
IKEA fun facts:
- IKEA is responsible for approximately 1% of world commercial-product wood consumption, making it one of the largest users of wood in the retail sector.
- Ingvar Kamprad was listed by Forbes Magazine in 2015 as one of the ten richest people in the world, worth more than $40 billion.
- The IKEA catalogue has been published since 1951. In 2010, IKEA published 197 million catalogues in 20 languages and 61 editions – more than 3 times as much as the Bible.
Time to get nostalgic
IKEA is celebrating the anniversary with some “golden oldies” and bringing back significant pieces from the last decades. The collection covers different time periods; from dark wood with a classic expression in the 1950s to a playful style with strong colors in the 1980s. The three-legged table “LÖVBACKEN” was the first IKEA bestseller. When an IKEA employee needed to fit the table into his small car, the legs were removed, and the idea of the flat-packages was born. Part of the collection is also the STRANDMON armchair which was one of Ingvar Kamprad’s personal favorites. The classics are true to the original design but come in new colours and with modern updates like LED light bulbs.
The limited edition of IKEA classics is launched at three different dates: August 2018 is for the 1950-60s, October is for the 1970-80s and finally December for the 90-00s.
See more pictures of the relaunched IKEA classics here
Some milestones along the IKEA journey:
1943: Ingvar Kamprad registers his company, IKEA. The I stands for Ingvar, K for Kamprad, E for Elmtaryd (the name of the family farm) and A for Agunnaryd (the name of the parish).
1948: Stylish, modern furniture is introduced into the IKEA product range.
1951: The first IKEA catalogue is distributed free of charge – just like today.
1956: Self-assembly furniture is now a part of the IKEA Concept. Flat packages mean reduced transport and damage costs. And that means lower prices for IKEA customers.
1958: The first IKEA store opens in Älmhult, Sweden.
1960: IKEA Älmhult introduces the first IKEA Restaurant & Café. As a result, visitors stay in the store longer.
1963: The first IKEA store outside Sweden opens, in Norway.
1973: The first IKEA store outside Scandinavia opens in Spreitenbach, Switzerland.
Today: 419 stores in 49 countries and close to 200 000 IKEA employees.
Going to Sweden? Why not stop by the IKEA museum in Älmhult Sweden which is located in the building that once was the world’s very first IKEA store.
