IKEA

IKEA memorabilia

1926

Ingvar kamprad, the founder of IKEA, was born in Smaran, southern Sweden.

He grew up on Elmtaryd farm near the small village of Agunnaryd. Ingvar was determined to start his own company when he was young. At first, he sold matches to his neighbors by bike. He found that buying matches in bulk from Stockholm can get a very cheap price, and then retail them at a very low price, from which he can still make a lot of profits. Later, his business scope continued to expand, and he began to sell fish, Christmas tree decorations, seeds, ballpoint pens and pencils.

in 1943

Ingvar kamprad founded IKEA.

Ingvar kamprad founded IKEA.

In p>1943, when Ingvar was 17 years old, his father gave him a graduation gift to help him start his own company. The name IKEA is a combination of the initials (IK) of the founder's name and the first letters of his farm (Elmtaryd) and village (Agunnaryd). At first, IKEA sold pens, wallets, picture frames, decorative tablecloths, watches, jewelry and nylon stockings-almost any low-priced products Ingvar could think of.

in 1945

the first advertisement of IKEA appeared in the local newspaper.

With the continuous expansion of business, Ingvar kamprad began to advertise in local newspapers and make a temporary mailing list. He distributes products through local milk collection trucks, which are used to transport products to nearby railway stations.

in 1947

furniture was introduced into IKEA's product range.

the furniture is produced by local manufacturers. Products have been welcomed by people and the production varieties have been expanded.

in 1951

the first IKEA catalogue was published

the founder of IKEA saw the opportunity to become a large-scale furniture supplier. Soon, he decided to stop producing all other products and concentrate on producing low-priced furniture, and IKEA as we know it today was born.

1953

where is the furniture exhibition hall? ? 2lmhult is open.

in the early 195s, IKEA products focused on home products. The opening of furniture exhibition hall is an important moment in the formation of IKEA concept. Ikea found itself involved in a price war with its main competitor. Both sides reduced the price, but the quality was not guaranteed. By opening the furniture showroom, IKEA can show the function, quality and low price of its products in a three-dimensional way. As IKEA hoped, people wisely chose products with good value for money.

in 1955

IKEA began to design its own furniture.

IKEA started designing its own home for several reasons. But the real reason for IKEA to design its own furniture is ironic. Pressure from competitors made suppliers stop supplying IKEA. Ikea had to start designing its own furniture, which actually laid the foundation for future development. The furniture designed by ourselves is very creative, with improved functions and lower prices. Later, an early employee of IKEA had a sudden inspiration and decided to remove the legs of the table, so that it could be put into the car and the damage during transportation could be avoided. From then on, we began to consider the problem of flat packaging in design. Flat packing further reduces our price. In this way, at IKEA, a working mode began to form, that is, turning problems into opportunities.

in 1956

IKEA began to try flat packaging.

designing products that can be packaged flat and assembled by customers themselves greatly reduces the product cost. The benefits of flat packaging have been obvious since the first day we removed the legs of the table and loaded them into the car. A transport vehicle loads more goods, requires less storage space, reduces labor costs, and avoids damage during transportation. For customers, this means that the price of the product is lower and the goods can be transported home conveniently.

in 1958

? ? 2lmhult creates the first IKEA store.

67 square meters of building scale! It was the largest furniture exhibition place in northern Europe at that time.

in 1959

Gillis Lundgren, the fourth employee of IKEA, designed the TORE Toler and achieved great success.

When visiting a kitchen product manufacturer, he noticed the simple and practical storage logic that we usually use in the kitchen, and decided to use the same thinking logic when designing other furniture. After returning to Almhult, he started to work and finally designed Toler.

the hundredth employee joined IKEA.

in 1963

the first IKEA store in Norway was opened outside Oslo.

this is also the first shopping mall we have opened outside Sweden.

consultant and designer Marian Grabinski designed the MTP bookcase.

this is a modern and classic bookcase, which has attracted many manufacturers to imitate it for many years. In the process of producing this bookcase and other wooden products, IKEA established a good relationship with Polish suppliers in the 195s and 196s. These relationships are still the basis of our efforts to provide products that ordinary people can afford.

1964

Right? ? GLA Augras chair has been redesigned to match the concept of IKEA's style, function and price.

IKEA has 53, employees in 15 stores in 29 countries on four continents.

Ingvar kamprad, the founder of IKEA, launched the activity of "Thank you very much" as a reward for the employees in the IKEA Group in the new millennium. On this special day, all IKEA sales around the world are distributed to employees. The sales target for this day is very high, and the actual sales are even greater than this target-about 187 million Dutch guilders. All employees, from restaurant staff to warehouse staff and the president of IKEA Group, received the same bonus. For most employees, the bonus is more than a month's salary. This is the best way to thank IKEA employees for their contribution to the success of IKEA in the last century. And this is just the beginning.