Timeline
| 1950's | 1960's | 1970's | 1980's | 1990's | 2000's | |
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1926 - The founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, is born in Småland, in the south of Sweden. He was raised on a farm called Elmtaryd, near the small village of Agunnaryd. Even as a young boy, Ingvar knew that he wanted to develop a business. He started by selling matches to neighbours from his bicycle. He found that he could buy matches in bulk very cheaply from Stockholm and sell them individually at a very low price but still make a good profit. From matches, he expanded to selling fish, Christmas tree decorations, seeds and later ball-point pens and pencils. 1943 - IKEA is founded by Ingvar Kamprad. In 1943, when Ingvar was 17, his father gave him a gift for succeeding in his studies. The gift was used to establish his own business. The name IKEA was formed from the founder's initials (I.K.) plus the first letters of Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd, the farm and village where he grew up. IKEA originally sold pens, wallets, picture frames, table runners, watches, jewelery and nylon stockings—whatever Ingvar found a need for that he could fill with a product at a reduced price. 1945 - The first IKEA advertisements appear in local newspapers. When Ingvar Kamprad outgrew his ability to make individual sales calls, he began advertising in local newspapers and operating a makeshift mail order catalogue. He distributed his products via the county milk van, which delivered them to the nearby train station. 1947 - Furniture is introduced into the IKEA product range. The furniture was produced by local manufacturers in the forests close to Ingvar Kamprad’s home. The positive response was gratifying, and the line expanded. 1951 - The first IKEA furniture catalogue is published. The founder of IKEA saw the opportunity of becoming a furniture provider on a larger scale. He soon made the decision to discontinue all of the other products and focus directly on low-priced furniture, and the IKEA that we know today was born.
1953 - The
furniture showroom is opened in Älmhult. The IKEA range focused to home
furnishing products in the early 1950s. The opening of the showroom was
an important moment in the development of the IKEA concept. For the
first time customers could see and touch our furnishings before
ordering. This came about as a solution to a problem. IKEA found itself
in a price war with its main competitor. As both companies lowered
prices, quality came at risk. By opening the showroom, IKEA could in
three dimensions present its products with function, quality and low
price. And people did just what IKEA had hoped: they wisely chose the
products with the best value for the money.
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