Ikea is one of the most important and well-known companies in the world. The Swedish multinational was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad. It currently has more than 400 stores in 50 countries, and employs more than 155,000 workers. There are many people who wonder about the origin of the name of Ikea , so let’s tell it.
It is a very simple explanation, which is sure to surprise many. It is an acronym formed by the initials of the following words: Ingvar, Kamprad, Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd . Said like this it seems that it doesn’t make much sense, but each of these words has a very special meaning:
- Ingvar Kamprad: first and last name of the founder of Ikea.
- Elmtaryd: name of the family farm.
- Agunnaryd: name of the Swedish town where he grew up.
There is something very curious about Ikea, and that is that all items have a certain name . They are selected from a large database, and the provenance depends on the category:
- Toiletries: Swedish lake names.
- Bedding: names of flowers and plants.
- Children’s products: names of mammals and birds.
- Bedroom and living room furniture: Norwegian city names.
- Office furniture – Scandinavian male proper names.
- Lighting: Swedish place names and nautical terms.
- Carpets and sofas: Danish place names.
- Fabrics and curtains – Scandinavian female proper names.
- Garden furniture: names of Scandinavian islands.
- Decoration accessories such as candles and vases: names of fruits, herbs and spices.
- Wall decoration: Swedish place names.
- Kitchen accessories: names of mushrooms and fish.
Curiosities of Ikea
After knowing the origin of the Ikea name , we want to point out a series of curiosities about the company.
In 1943, the Swede Ingvar Kamprad founded Ikea, although at that time it only sold items for everyday use, such as matches and notebooks. It was in 1947 that he started selling furniture, and the first Ikea catalog was published in 1951.
In Spain the first store opened its doors in 1996. Currently it has more than 20, through which more than 40 million people pass each year.
Since 1986 Ikea has been based in the city of Leiden , in the Netherlands. Some believe that the company moved from Sweden to pay less tax.
And finally, it should be noted that packaged furniture has been Ikea’s main hallmark since 1956. The idea came to an employee, who thought it would be a good idea to remove the legs from a table to transport it in the car.
