Who is Ingvar Kamprad?
Ingvar Kamprad was an unconventional entrepreneur who took a risk at a young age. In 1931, at the age of five, he began to market matches, which were a staple item in every household. How did this boy from a rural area of Sweden become the founder of an international company?
Ingvar Kamprad
The period of Ingvar Kamprad‘s childhood was marked by a depression and a lot of poverty, so everyone had to be frugal, including children. In Småland, the region where he lived, the ground was tough and the crops it produced were inadequate, so people had to think of other ways to make ends meet, like making and selling their own items or preserved foods. This is how Ingvar became an entrepreneur.
Ingvar Kamprad established his business when he was only a child. He commenced by selling matches when he was five and later pedalled his bicycle to additional locations to offer his wares to his neighbours at the age of seven. He discovered that he could purchase matches in bulk from Stockholm at an inexpensive price and then sell them at a discounted price while still making a considerable profit. After that, he broadened his company to include fish, holiday decorations, seeds, and later ballpoint pens and pencils. His father gave him a financial reward for his educational success when Kamprad was seventeen. A true VIKING! Check out the Viking Drill Bits
Most of his business was conducted through mail order. His initials (Ingvar Kamprad) along with the initials of the family farm where he was born (Elmtaryd) are the foundation of the acronym IKEA.
Ingvar Kamprad was a successful Swedish entrepreneur most widely recognized for initiating IKEA, an international chain of retail stores specializing in furniture. He stayed in Switzerland from 1976 to 2014. Although his overall personality was quite private, Kamprad wrote a few significant pieces of literature. In 1976, he wrote a proclamation titled A Testament of a Furniture Dealer in which he expressed his beliefs about thrift and straightforwardness.
On 27 January 2018, he died of pneumonia in his house in Småland, Sweden at the age of 91.
Ingvar Kamprad Memorabilia
Collectors all over the world buy Ingvar Kamprad memorabilia.
Here are the current Ingvar Kamprad listings on eBay.
In 1947, IKEA began offering furniture for sale, taking advantage of local suppliers to help keep costs low. This move proved to be successful, as it resulted in Kamprad deciding to make furniture the sole focus for IKEA in 1951. Two years later, a showroom was created due to a price war with the company’s main competitor. It was a way for people to get a better idea of the quality before they made a purchase, as they could see it, touch it, and feel it.