IKEA

IKEA is a Swedish multinational furniture retailer known for its ready-to-assemble furniture, flat-pack packaging, and affordable design. The company was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad in Sweden as a mail-order business and later expanded into furniture. The IKEA name derives from Kamprad's initials and that of his farm and village (Ingvar Kamprad, Elmtaryd, Agunnaryd). The first Swedish stores opened in the late 1950s, and the concept of flat-pack furniture emerged in 1956, enabling lower transport and storage costs.

IKEA operates a circular, cost-conscious business model that emphasizes functional, well-designed products at low prices. The company designs products with modularity and standardization in mind and relies on a global network of suppliers and efficient logistics. Stores are large, multi-story complexes with showrooms, self-serve warehouses, and in-store restaurants. Customers typically browse a guided path, purchase items to collect from a warehouse, and assemble products at home.

The product range includes furniture for living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, storage, lighting, textiles, and home accessories, emphasizing Scandinavian design principles: simplicity, practicality, and minimalism. IKEA also offers services such as kitchen planning, delivery, and assembly in some markets.

In sustainability efforts, IKEA pursues goals to become climate positive and restore circularity by using renewable or recycled materials, improving energy efficiency, and encouraging sustainable consumption. The company is privately held with the Stichting Ingka Foundation controlling the majority of retail stores through the Ingka Group, which operates most IKEA stores under a franchise from Inter IKEA Systems B.V.