Ingvar Feodor Kamprad (pronunciation; created 30 March 1926) is a Swedish business magnate. He could be the founder of IKEA, a Swedish retail business specialising in furniture. Kamprad started to come up with a company as a young lad, selling matches to neighbors from his bike. He found he could purchase matches in volume really cheaply from Stockholm, sell them separately at an affordable cost, but still make an excellent gain. From matches, he enlarged to selling fish, Christmas tree decorations, seeds, and later ballpoint pens and pencils. When Kamprad was 17, his dad gave him a cash benefit for succeeding in his studies. IKEA was set up in 1943 at Kamprad’s uncle Ernst’s kitchen table. His company was mainly mail order. Following his choice to step down, the 87-year old creator clarified, “I see this as an excellent time for me personally to leave the board of Inter IKEA Group. By that we’re also taking another step in the generation shift that’s been continuing for a few years.”
Peter Kamprad, Jonas Kamprad, Mathias Kamprad, Annika Kihlbom
Parents
Berta Kamprad, Feodor Kamprad
Nicknames
Ingvar Feodor Kamprad
Star Sign
Aries
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Quote
1
Our idea is to serve everybody, including people with little money.
2
People say I am cheap, and I don't mind if they do.
3
If there is such a thing as good leadership, it is to give a good example. I have to do so for all the Ikea employees.
4
We have to still develop the Ikea group. We need many billions of Swiss francs to take on China or Russia.
5
I am very proud to follow the rules of our company.
6
We ought to have more women in various management positions, because women are the ones who decide almost everything in the home.
7
I'm stingy and I'm proud of the reputation.
8
I'm not afraid of turning 80 and I have lots of things to do. I don't have time for dying.
9
Everything we earn we need as a reserve.
10
Ikea people do not drive flashy cars or stay at luxury hotels.
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Fact
1
Has lived in Epalinges, Switzerland since 1976.
2
Is dyslexic.
3
Although ranking #4 in "Forbes" magazine's 2007 List of Billionaires with an estimated fortune of US$ 33 billion, he is considered being stingy, driving a 15 year old Volvo and visiting IKEA for a cheap meal.
4
Founded the home furnishing retail chain IKEA (the acronym is made up of his name's initials plus his family's farm Elmtaryd and a nearby village called Agunnardy) in 1943.
$3.4 Billion
