The Swedish furniture retailer known for flat-pack products and blue-and-yellow stores is IKEA.
Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in Sweden in 1943, initially as a mail-order business selling assorted goods. IKEA began selling furniture in 1948, and its first dedicated store opened in Älmhult in 1958. The name combines Kamprad’s initials with Elmtaryd, his family farm, and Agunnaryd, his hometown.
The flat-pack system helped IKEA reduce shipping and storage costs. Customers select products, transport the packages, and usually assemble the furniture themselves. Its stores commonly guide shoppers through furnished room displays before leading them to a marketplace and self-service warehouse.
The blue-and-yellow color scheme reflects Sweden’s national colors, not the colors of a particular product line. Another common mix-up is IKEA’s founding date: 1943 refers to the company’s creation, while 1958 marks the opening of its first furniture store. IKEA’s first stores outside Sweden opened in Norway in 1963 and Denmark in 1969.