Ikea Blog

Ikea history begins in 1943, in Sweden, when the company was founded by Ingvar Kamprad, who was only 17 years old. The Ikea name comes from the founder name` s initials – I.K – plus the founder village and farm` s first letters – E (Elmtaryd) and A (Agunnaryd). At the beginning, Ikea sold watches, pens, nylon stockings, wallets, jewelry, table runners and picture frames, at reduced prices. 1948 is the year when the first Ikea furniture appears. In 1951 the Ikea catalogue was published for the first time and in 1958 the first Ikea store was opened in Sweden.Ikea is a private company that commercializes home furniture at low prices. Although a Swedish company, Ikea is owned by a Dutch foundation controlled by the Kamprad family. The owner of the Ikea trade mark and of the Ikea concept is Inter Ikea Systems B.V. It is a Dutch company with offices in Holland, Sweden and Belgium. Ikea has 247 shops in 34 countries. The majority are in Europe and the rest in the United Sates, Canada, Asia and Australia. More than 20 shops were open in 2005. Ikea is one of the few companies that have shops in Israel as well as in other countries from the Middle Orient.