Which Swedish furniture retailer was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943? IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in Sweden in 1943.
Kamprad started the business when he was 17, initially operating it as a mail-order enterprise rather than as the furniture giant familiar today. The name IKEA combines his initials with those of Elmtaryd, his family farm, and Agunnaryd, the nearby village where he grew up.
Furniture was added to the business in 1948. IKEA’s first store opened in Älmhult, Småland, on October 28, 1958, giving customers a physical showroom for its increasingly distinctive range. The company later became associated with ready-to-assemble furniture, room displays and cost-conscious design.
People often confuse IKEA’s founding date with the opening of its first store or its entry into furniture. The company began in 1943, began selling furniture five years later and opened its first store in 1958. Its first stores outside Sweden arrived in Norway in 1963 and Denmark in 1969.