Ingvar Kamprad
Swedish founder of IKEA, the world's largest furniture seller.
Feodor Ingvar Kamprad (30 March 1926 – 27 January 2018) was a Swedish billionaire businessman. In 1943, he founded IKEA, which by 2008 had become the world’s largest furniture retailer.
Kamprad was born in Pjätteryd, in Småland’s Kronobergs län (now part of Älmhult Municipality). His mother, Berta Linnea Matilda Nilsson, was Swedish; his father, Feodor Kamprad (1893–1984), was born in Sweden and moved there a year after his own birth with his parents. On his father’s side, Kamprad’s paternal grandfather, Achim Erdmann Kamprad, came from an aristocratic German family in Thuringia’s Altenburger Land, while his paternal grandmother, Franzisca “Fanny” Glatz, was born into a lower-class family in Radonitz (Radonice), Bohemia, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After seeing a magazine advertisement, Achim and Franzisca bought a timber estate near Agunnaryd, Sweden, and moved there with their young children in the winter of 1894 or 1895. The surname Kamprad, a variant of “Kamerade” (“Comrade”), dates to the 14th century; by the 19th century, the family had become wealthy estate owners in Thuringia. Achim Kamprad’s mother was a distant relative of Paul von Hindenburg. Achim, the younger son of an estate owner, purchased the farm Elmtaryd (now standardized as Älmtaryd) near the village of Agunnaryd (now part of Ljungby Municipality) in Småland. At 449 hectares (1,110 acres), it was the largest farm in the area. A few years after Feodor (Ingvar’s father) was born, Achim took his own life, leaving the farm to Franzisca and eventually to Feodor. From age six, Ingvar Kamprad lived on the farm with his parents, sister, and grandmother. He visited the family’s ancestral town in Thuringia and stayed in touch with relatives there.
Kamprad began selling matches at age five. At seven, he started cycling farther to peddle to neighbors. He discovered he could buy matches in bulk cheaply in Stockholm, sell them individually at a low price, and still turn a profit. He expanded to fish, Christmas tree decorations, seeds, and later ballpoint pens and pencils. When he turned 17, his father gave him a cash reward for doing well in his studies. From 1943 to 1945, Kamprad attended Gothenburg’s Handelsinstitut (now part of Hvitfeldtska Gymnasiet). In 1943, at age 17, he founded IKEA at his uncle Ernst’s kitchen table. In 1948, he added furniture to his mostly mail-order business.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1926-03-30
- Birth Place
- Pjätteryd, Sweden
- Death Date
- 2018-01-27
- Death Place
- Älmhult, Sweden
- Occupation
- Businessman
- Children
- 4
- Known For
- Founder of IKEA
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Ingvar Kamprad was born in Pjätteryd, Sweden, to Feodor Kamprad and Berta Linnea Matilda Nilsson. He started selling matches at age five and later expanded to fish, Christmas decorations, seeds, and ballpoint pens. At 17, he founded IKEA at his uncle Ernst's kitchen table; the name combines his initials, the family farm Elmtaryd, and the village Agunnaryd. He attended Gothenburg's Handelsinstitut from 1943 to 1945.
Kamprad's early involvement with fascist groups was revealed in 1994 when letters showed he joined Per Engdahl's New Swedish Movement in 1942 at age 16. He called this the 'greatest mistake of my life' and devoted two chapters to it in his book. He later resigned from the board of Inter IKEA Holding in June 2013, succeeded by his son Mathias.
Kamprad lived in Switzerland from 1976 to 2014, then moved back to Småland. He died in his sleep of pneumonia at home on 27 January 2018. His will outlined a complex distribution, with portions directed to Norrland projects and his children, among other beneficiaries.
Reader's Guide
Ingvar Kamprad's significance lies in transforming a small mail-order business into IKEA, the world's largest furniture retailer by 2008. His emphasis on cost control, operational details, and continuous product development allowed the company to lower prices by 2–3% annually over a decade while expanding globally. His frugal personal habits—driving a 1993 Volvo, flying economy, recycling tea bags—mirrored the company's philosophy. However, his legacy is complicated by his teenage involvement with Swedish fascist groups, which he later publicly regretted. The Stichting INGKA Foundation, which owns IKEA's parent company, and his transfer of ownership to it, created ongoing disputes about his personal wealth. His works, including 'A Testament of a Furniture Dealer' and 'Leading by Design', codified his business principles. Kamprad's life illustrates both entrepreneurial success and the moral complexities of personal history.
Did You Know?
- Kamprad started selling matches at age five and later peddled fish, Christmas decorations, seeds, and ballpoint pens.
- He joined the pro-fascist New Swedish Movement in 1942 at age 16, later calling it the 'greatest mistake of my life'.
- Kamprad drove a 1993 Volvo 240 and flew economy class, encouraging employees to use both sides of paper.
- His will left half his estate to projects in Norrland, Sweden's sparsely populated northern half.
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