IKEA is a home facility company from Sweden, operating world-wide. The enterprise was created at that time 1943 from only the Ingvar Kamprad.

The enterprise vision of IKEA is it to offer functional furnishings in good and modern Design for reasonable prices.

Company name, - colors and company

The company name IKEA consists of the initial letters of Ingvar Kamprad, the parental farm Elmtaryd and to the yard the nearest place Agunnaryd. The today's enterprise colors are blue and yellow the Swedish state colors.

The owner of the IKEA company is today primarily the donation Stichting INGKA Foundation with seat in the Netherlands. The Netherlands were selected, because Ingvar Kamprad wanted to guarantee that the individual parts of the company cannot be sold. Ingvar Kamprad sits in the supervisory board of the donation. The parent company of all enterprises of the company (from many suppliers to the sales companies with the furniture stores) is those getting thing INGKA getting thing B.V.Die company Inter IKEA of system B.V. is owner of the trademark laws and the IKEA concept. It is Franchisegeberin for all IKEA furniture stores and the company. Most furniture stores are united in IKEA Group, which likewise belongs to the company.

History

Ingvar Kamprad sold with its company at the beginning of all kinds of different goods, among them ball-point pens, wallets, Bilderrahmen, Tischdecken, clocks, matches, decoration and nylon socks.

1947 began Kamprad also inexpensive furniture by dispatch, particularly to the farmers of the region, the to sell. So it could keep the costs from the manufacturer to the customer low. The hard calculation remained until today one the base of the business philosophy.

1951 appeared the first IKEA catalog. The business concentrated now only on furniture. In IKEA catalogs soon furniture was illustrated not only as individual objects, but as part of an entire, finished furnished room. These representations were revolutionary at time at that time. The catalogs became the perfect link the customers and the most important marketing instrument of the enterprise.

Starting from 1955 Kamprad offered sketched furniture first times particularly for IKEA. In order to be able to send furniture away better, it let it pack starting from 1956 in individual parts as well as a building guidance in flat cardboard. This simple concept made world-wide well-known and successful IKEA.

1958 opened the first IKEA business in A further support of the IKEA concept the self transport of furniture became by the customers. So the customers could again save. Besides there should from the outset, on suggestion Kamprads, in each department store also a restaurant be, in order to work empty furniture stores at midday against. The IFS (Ikea Food service) is today however so successful that customers drink often only to having breakfast, meal or coffee come. There are most meals to buy also in so-called "Sweden Shop ", in order to prepare it at home. The meals offered in the restaurants are shared to Swedish national courts, are however country-specifically varied. There is menus for smaller children and a selection of vegetarian meal. In addition IKEA attaches importance to the fact that there is the free service in all restaurants to let bring along with baby food of the personnel warm up.

By the low prices in their existence threatens itself feeling, established Swedish furniture industry called at the beginning of the 1960er years to the boycott of IKEA. The suppliers refused supplying, IKEA further. Kamprad solved the first crisis of the enterprise with Bravour. It let its furniture produce in the deepest cold war from now on in Poland and could thus the prices again press. Already 1963 expanded IKEA over the national borders away and opened a furniture house in the Norwegian Asker, close Oslo.

1965 opened a further IKEA house in Stockholm, the then largest furniture center of Sweden. The attack was so unexpectedly large that all furniture orders could not at all be processed. Again Kamprad showed its business talent and let the camps for its customers open. Until today the camps sales room remained. 1970 came it in this furniture store to a heavy fire. IKEA had formed already so large reserves however at this time that this financial load could be mastered.

Into the 1970er years publicised IKEA furniture as articles of fashion and Verbrauchsgegenstand ("use it and throw it away"). Furniture should not be used no more over generations as at that time still usual. IKEA gained an image, which stands for modern aesthetic housing tradition. But with quality lacking IKEA risked its call. Thereupon one began to automate production more strongly and to secure with it the quality as well as the contentwise completeness of the furniture packings (individual parts were often missing such as screws).

1973 came it to the second heavy crisis of the enterprise. Inflation and oil crisis let production costs rise. But IKEA gave in its catalogs a price guarantee at that time already for the entire year. IKEA decided to hold the prices and proved thereby again a lucky At the year end the enterprise had brought in despite the difficulties profits.

Particularly by for the 1990er years assigned, humorous television commercial (breaking down and on the cold Buffet falling May trees in the midsummer eight Christmas trees in January, flying from windows) strengthens, which particularly to the recent public is addressed, grew the popularity of IKEA world-wide.

The largest crisis lately had to bear IKEA 1994. Swedish newspapers brought Ingvar Kamprad with Nazi groupings in connection. The media uncovered that it the right organization of a friend and admitted of Nazis had financially supported. Fast to the boycott one called. Kamprads grandmother was Sudeten German and its political forming of an opinion had probably affected. Kamprad apologized in a hand written, open letter at its coworkers and the customers and calls the payments today "largest stupidity of my life".

For attention IKEA provided 2004 with conditions on the IT-fair CeBIT. Together with the US-American software company Microsoft was presented a mixture from furniture and media.

IKEA in Germany and the world

Germany

IKEA applies in Germany to many as in an educated manner to modern Sweden. The first IKEA in Germany was opened on 14 October 1974 in Eching with Munich. In Germany there are momentarily 38 IKEA furniture stores. Planned and/or in building at present further branches are in Frankfurt/Main, Gersthofen/Augsburg, Hanover, Koblenz, Oldenburg, Rastatt and as well as a second branch in Cologne. The largest German IKEA branch is in Munich Brunnthal with a total area of 37.700 m

Germany is thereby the world-wide largest market for IKEA and with approximately 19 % of the gross income turnover front runner. The Germany center from IKEA is in Hofheim Wallau (with Wiesbaden).

In over history of IKEA Germany up to now only two branches were closed, in Dorsten and in Stuttgart. In the city center of Stuttgart a branch from 1980 to 1998, which corresponded to firm philosophy however in no way, existed. Because of lack of space and the impossibility of an on or a development there was no restaurant, none self-service-furniture-resounded and also not sufficient parking lots. In order to fetch furniture, the customers had to drive into a suburb from Stuttgart, where the camp was. Also the sales area of the branch the available was not to be arranged IKEA typical in Stuttgart. The search for suitable building ground at the edge of the Gemarkung Stuttgart proved as difficult and expensive. Finally the location Stuttgart was given up. Instead IKEA opened to 1998 two branches in Sindelfingen and Ludwigsburg, which are about ten kilometers south and/or north of Stuttgart in June.

Switzerland and Austria

In Switzerland and in Austria there are ever six IKEA The 1973 open branch in Spreitenbach (Switzerland, canton Aargau) were first outside of Scandinavia.

Remainder of the world

World-wide there are at present 234 IKEA furniture stores in 34 countries and territories. At present largest IKEA branch is in Stockholm with 55.200 m The smallest branch is in the city the Odense (1,500 m in Denmark. IKEA is today the largest household furniture mark of the world and a so-called global Player. The enterprise is represented in 25 countries with 207 own branches. Additionally there are 27 branches in 15 countries, which are operated by Franchisenehmern (all numbers conditions December 2005). IKEA converted approximately 14.8 billion euro in the financial year 2005 and has altogether 90,000 coworkers (conditions 2005). IKEA lets produce world-wide.

The largest growth market is Russia. There are already five houses (in Moscow, pc. Petersburg and Kazan') and further ten are planned.

In Japan 1974 the first IKEA branch was opened, however the sales figures were so bad that 1986 all furniture stores was again closed. In April 2006 with the opening of a house in Funabashi close Tokyo a new start was then tried. Already on the first day 35,000 customers came into 40,000 m the large furniture house. Now are to be opened to 2011 further twelve branches in Japan.

IKEA was selected 2005 in a reader questioning of the American on-line magazine Brandchannel again to "the strongest mark of Europe ".

Articles in category "IKEA"

We found here 2 articles.