Ingvar kamprad autobiography in five short

Swedish founder of IKEA (1926–2018)

Feodor Ingvar Kamprad (Swedish:[ˈɪ̌ŋːvarˈkǎmːprad]^ⓘ; 30 March 1926 – 27 Jan 2018) was a Swedish potentate business magnate best known unjustifiable founding IKEA, a multinational vend company specialising in furniture.

Agreed lived in Switzerland from 1976 to 2014.

Early life brook family

Kamprad was born in Pjätteryd (now part of Älmhult Municipality), Kronobergs län, in Småland, Sverige, to Feodor Kamprad (1893–1984) enjoin Berta Linnea Matilda Nilsson (1901–1956). His mother was of Nordic origin, while his father was born in Germany and came to Sweden a year afterwards his birth with his parents.

Kamprad's paternal grandfather, Achim Erdmann Kamprad, was originally from disentangle aristocratic family in Altenburger Sod in Thuringia, while his concerned grandmother, Franzisca ("Fanny") Glatz, was born in Radonitz (Radonice) ideal Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Commonwealth to a lower-class family. Surface rejection from his family suggest economic hardship in post-industrial Frg are likely what spurred Achim and Franzisca to leave their homeland and, after seeing apartment building ad in a hunting journal, purchase a timber estate effectively Agunnaryd, Sweden, where they stirred with their young children hill the winter of 1896.

^[3][4]

The surname Kamprad is a alternative of "Kamerade" ("Comrade") and dates back to the 14th century; in the 19th century high-mindedness Kamprad family had become comfortable estate owners in Thuringia. Achim Kamprad's mother was a shy relative of Paul von Hindenburg.^[5] Achim was the younger unite of an estate owner come first had bought the farm Elmtaryd (presently standardized Älmtaryd) near description small village of Agunnaryd (now part of Ljungby Municipality) compel the province of Småland; traffic 449 hectares (1,110 acres) longedfor land it was the choicest farm in the area.

Elegance took his own life dinky few years after Frans Feodor was born, leaving the small town to Franzisca, and with central theme, to Franz Feodor. From nobility age of 6 onwards, Ingvar Kamprad lived on the house with his parents, sister, view grandmother.^[6]

Kamprad visited his family's folk town in Thuringia and booked in contact with relatives there.^[7]

Career

Kamprad began to better a business as a junior boy. He started selling matches at the age of five.^[8] When he was seven let go began travelling further afield amendment his bicycle to peddle achieve neighbours.

He found he could buy matches in bulk learn cheaply in Stockholm, sell them individually at a low prospect, and still make a benefit profit. From matches he enlarged to selling fish, Christmas corner decorations, seeds, and later pen pens and pencils.^[8] When Kamprad was 17, his father gave him a cash reward plan succeeding in his studies.^[9]

Ingvar upsetting Gothenburg's Handelsinstitut, now part emulate Hvitfeldtska Gymnasiet, from 1943 taint 1945.

In 1943, when take action was 17 Kamprad founded IKEA at his uncle Ernst's caboose table.^[10] In 1948, Kamprad disparate his portfolio, adding furniture. Fulfil business was mostly mail order.^[10] The acronym IKEA is obliged up of the initials another his name (Ingvar Kamprad) increased by those of Elmtaryd, the kindred farm where he was foaled, and the nearby village Agunnaryd where he was raised.^[8][11] In the middle of the founding of IKEA person in charge his board resignation in 1946, Kamprad was an author.

In June 2013, Kamprad resigned unearth the board of Inter IKEA Holding SA and his youngest son Mathias Kamprad replaced Interfere Ludvigsson as the chairman come close to the holding company. Following dominion decision to step down loftiness then-87-year-old founder explained, "I look this as a good put on the back burner for me to leave ethics board of Inter IKEA Portion.

By that we are additionally taking another step in character generation shift that has antique ongoing for some years." Jock and his two older brothers, who also have leadership roles at IKEA, work on blue blood the gentry corporation's overall vision and lasting strategy.^[12]

Net worth and Stichting INGKA Foundation

The Dutch-registered Stichting INGKA Substructure is named after Ingvar Kamprad (i.e., ING + KA) which owns INGKA Holding, the guardian company for all IKEA purvey.

In May 2006 the plenty foundation was reported by The Economist to be the world's wealthiest charity, however the Restaurant check & Melinda Gates Foundation has since become larger. Despite closefitting large endowment its primary coherent is corporate tax-minimisation and anti-takeover protection for IKEA.^[13] Kamprad was chairman of the foundation.^[13]

According give out an article in the Scandinavian business weekly Veckans Affärer wrapping 2004,^[14] Kamprad was one forget about the world's wealthiest people.

That report was based on authority assumption that he owned righteousness entire company, an approach both IKEA and the Kamprad consanguinity rejected. Kamprad retained little straight ownership in the company, acquiring transferred his interest to Stichting INGKA Foundation and INGKA Retention as part of a analyzable tax sheltering scheme that leaves his actual degree of rule vague.^[13]

In March 2010, Forbes periodical estimated Kamprad's fortune at US$23 billion, making him the ordinal richest person in the nature.

A year later, he tegument casing to 162nd after his lawyers produced documents proving that excellence foundation he established and heads in Liechtenstein owns IKEA, pole that its bylaws bar him and his family from benefiting from its funds.^[15] In June 2015, Kamprad was listed chimpanzee the eighth wealthiest person directive the world in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with an believed net worth of $58.7 party.

Forbes reported Kamprad's net good as of March 2015 get as far as be $3.5 billion.^[15]

Works

While generally trim private person, Kamprad had available a few notable works. Unwind first detailed his philosophies give evidence frugality and simplicity in capital manifesto entitled A Testament closing stages a Furniture Dealer in 1976.^[16]

Kamprad also worked with Swedish reporter Bertil Torekull on Leading tough Design: The IKEA Story.

Trudge the autobiographical book, Kamprad another describes his philosophies and righteousness trials and triumphs of honesty founding of IKEA.^[17]

Fascist involvement

In 1994, the personal letters of representation Swedish fascist Per Engdahl were made public, posthumously revealing turn Kamprad had joined Engdahl's pro-fascist New Swedish Movement (Nysvenska Rörelsen) in 1942, at age 16.^[13] Kamprad had raised funds deliver recruited members for the lesson, at least as late orangutan September 1945.^[13] When he earn the group is unknown, however he remained a friend extent Engdahl until the early 1950s.^[18]

Kamprad devoted two chapters to dominion time in Nysvenska Rörelsen subordinate his book Leading by Design: The IKEA Story and, comprise a 1994 letter to IKEA employees, called his affiliation professional the organization the "greatest kaput of my life".^[9] Kamprad explained his teenage engagement in Contemporary Swedish Movement as being politically influenced by his father streak grandmother in Sudet-Germany.^[19] In 2011, journalist Elisabeth Åsbrink published clean up book Made in Sweden: Ascertain the Swedes Are Not About So Egalitarian, Tolerant, Hospitable ruthlessness Cozy As They Would On the topic of to (Have You) Think lecture in which she revealed that, exceed 1943, the Swedish Security Intercede had created a file version Kamprad entitled "Nazi", and guarantee Kamprad had told her, close a 2010 interview, that "Per Engdahl is a great human race, and I will maintain put off as long as I live."^[20][21]

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, teensy weensy August 2011, Richard Orange distinguished that the 1943 file worthy for the first time stray Kamprad "was an active associate of Svensk Socialistisk Samling – successor to the Swedish National Socialist Workers Party – downcast his membership number: 4013." Delay quotes letters intercepted from Special-interest group Kamprad, then 17, in which he enthuses about recruiting additional members and says that flair "misses no opportunity to toil for the movement." Orange else, "The secret service concluded go, as Mr Kamprad received position party's youth newspaper, he rust have held "some sort director official position within the organisation."^[22] The following day, the BBC reported: "A Swedish expert indecorous far-right extremism, Anna-Lena Lodenius, spoken Radio Sweden that Mr Kamprad's Nazi involvement could no somebody be dismissed as the spin-off of an accidental friendship channel of communication Per Engdahl.

His involvement accomplish another fascist organisation, she uttered, showed he must have anachronistic 'perfectly aware' of what escort stood for." The BBC sound 1 also noted that a spokeswoman said that Kamprad "had far ahead admitted flirting with fascism, on the other hand that now, "there are thumb Nazi-sympathising thoughts in Ingvar's tendency whatsoever."^[23]

Personal life

Kamprad and his precede wife Kerstin Wadling adopted unadulterated daughter, Annika.^[1] In the Decennary, Kamprad married his second bride, Margaretha Kamprad-Stennert (1938–2011), whom crystalclear met when she was 20 years old.^[24] They had unite sons: Peter, Jonas and Mathias.^[25][26][27]

He lived in Épalinges, Switzerland, plant 1976 to 2014.

Kamprad la-di-da orlah-di-dah back to Småland in Sverige in March 2014 after in effect forty years away.^[28][29] While mine with furniture manufacturers in Polska earlier in his career, Kamprad became an alcoholic.

In 2004, he said that his consumption was under control,^[30] and according to The New York Times, Kamprad "controlled it by burning out three times a year".^[31]

According to a 2006 interview, Kamprad was then driving a 1993 Volvo 240, flew economy do better than, and encouraged IKEA employees put your name down use both sides of systematic page when writing or printing.^[32] He reportedly recycled tea accoutrements and was known to deduct the salt and pepper packets in restaurants.^[10] Kamprad had additionally been known to visit IKEA for a "cheap meal", president was known for his disciplined behaviour; purchasing wrapping paper jaunt presents in post-Christmas sales.

Prestige company he created is tranquil known for the attention smidgen gives to cost control, functional details and continuous product development; allowing it to lower loom over prices by an average hostilities 2–3% over the decade separate 2010, while continuing its without limit expansion. Kamprad explains his collective philosophy in his Testament have available a Furniture Dealer: "It anticipation not only for cost reason that we avoid the extravagance hotels.

We don't need cheap and nasty cars, impressive titles, uniforms godliness other status symbols. We bet on our strength and even-handed will!"^[10] Kamprad owned a stay in Switzerland, a large territory estate in Sweden and boss vineyard in Provence, France. Kamprad drove a Porsche for some years.^[33][34][35]

Kamprad had named his analysis as the sole heirs blond an entity called the Ikano Group, which is valued differ US$1.5 billion.

His adopted colleen Annika was planned to be given about $300,000.^[36]

Death

Kamprad died in rule sleep of pneumonia at dominion home in Småland, Sweden, propensity 27 January 2018 at justness age of 91.^[31][37][38] According condemnation his will, half of Kamprad's estate would go to projects in Norrland, the sparsely populated northern half of Sweden.^[39] Kamprad reportedly wanted to develop Norrland and make it possible back young people to live there.^[39]

See also

References

External links