IKEA opened its first store outside Sweden, in Norway, in 1963.
Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in Sweden in 1943, initially as a mail-order business. The company began selling furniture in the 1950s and opened its first permanent showroom in Älmhult, Sweden, in 1953. IKEA’s first full store opened there in 1958.
International expansion followed when IKEA entered Norway in 1963. The move marked the beginning of a long-term strategy of bringing the company’s flat-pack furniture and self-service shopping format to markets beyond Sweden. Denmark followed in 1969, and the company later expanded throughout Europe and beyond.
The year 1963 is sometimes confused with 1958 because the latter marks IKEA’s first store overall. IKEA’s distinctive retail experience combines showroom room sets, warehouse-style collection areas, flat packaging, customer assembly, and the Swedish food offerings found in many stores.