IKEA has its roots in Småland, historically one of Sweden’s poorest regions. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer and offers home furnishings and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds, chairs, desks, appliances and home accessories. IKEA was founded in 1943 and is based in Almhult, Sweden. It also has operations in the United States. IKEA AB is a subsidiary of INGKA Holding B.V.
INGKA Holding B.V. owns the industrial group Swedwood, which sources the manufacturing of IKEA furniture, the sales companies that run IKEA stores, as well as purchasing and supply functions, and IKEA of Sweden, which is responsible for the design and development of products in the IKEA range.
IKEA stores
The IKEA Group operates around 290 IKEA stores in 26 countries under franchise from Inter IKEA Systems B.V. About 40 IKEA stores in 15 countries are operated by other franchisees which are owned outside the IKEA Group.
The world's five largest IKEA stores are:
The IKEA Group
IKEA Group works in four basic areas: range strategy & product development, production, supply and retail. The parent company of the IKEA Group of Companies, INGKA Holding B.V., is owned by Stichting INGKA Foundation in the Netherlands.
INGKA Holding B.V. is wholly owned by Stichting INGKA Foundation, which is a non-profit foundation registered in Leiden, Netherlands. The European logistics centre is located in Dortmund, Germany, and the Asian logistics centre is located in Singapore.
The Stichting INGKA Foundation was established in 1982 by the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, to create an ownership structure and organization that stand for independence and taking a long-term approach. It has two purposes – to reinvest in the IKEA Group and to fund charity through the Stichting IKEA Foundation.
IKEA Group has grown into a global retail brand with 131,000 co-workers in 41 countries generating annual sales of more than 24.7 billion EURO.