IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 and became famous for affordable flat-pack furniture.
Kamprad started the Swedish business when he was 17, initially running it as a mail-order operation that sold assorted goods. Furniture entered the range in 1948. IKEA began selling flat-pack furniture in 1956, helping reduce shipping and storage costs while allowing customers to take products home and assemble them themselves.
The name IKEA combines Kamprad’s initials with Elmtaryd, the family farm where he was born, and Agunnaryd, the nearby village where he grew up. The first IKEA store opened in Älmhult, Sweden, in 1958. Its showroom-style stores, self-service warehouses and ready-to-assemble designs became central to the brand’s identity.
A common mix-up is crediting IKEA’s founding to its furniture business. Kamprad founded the company in 1943, but furniture was added several years later. Another neighbouring fact readers often ask about is the flat-pack idea: IKEA designer Gillis Lundgren is commonly associated with developing it after removing a table’s legs so it would fit into a car.