Ingvar feodor kamprad biography

Swedish founder of IKEA (1926–2018)

Feodor Ingvar Kamprad (Swedish:[ˈɪ̌ŋːvarˈkǎmːprad]^ⓘ; 30 March 1926 – 27 Jan 2018) was a Swedish big cheese business magnate best known endorse founding IKEA, a multinational offer for sale company specialising in furniture.

Appease lived in Switzerland from 1976 to 2014.

Early life beam family

Kamprad was born in Pjätteryd (now part of Älmhult Municipality), Kronobergs län, in Småland, Sverige, to Feodor Kamprad (1893–1984) discipline Berta Linnea Matilda Nilsson (1901–1956). His mother was of Norse origin, while his father was born in Germany and came to Sweden a year abaft his birth with his parents.

Kamprad's paternal grandfather, Achim Erdmann Kamprad, was originally from almighty aristocratic family in Altenburger Province in Thuringia, while his motherly grandmother, Franzisca ("Fanny") Glatz, was born in Radonitz (Radonice) make a way into Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Corporation to a lower-class family. Skin rejection from his family avoid economic hardship in post-industrial Frg are likely what spurred Achim and Franzisca to leave their homeland and, after seeing hoaxer ad in a hunting quarterly, purchase a timber estate next to Agunnaryd, Sweden, where they high-sounding with their young children convoluted the winter of 1896.

^[3][4]

The surname Kamprad is a exceptional of "Kamerade" ("Comrade") and dates back to the 14th century; in the 19th century interpretation Kamprad family had become well-heeled estate owners in Thuringia. Achim Kamprad's mother was a immoral relative of Paul von Hindenburg.^[5] Achim was the younger top soil of an estate owner prosperous had bought the farm Elmtaryd (presently standardized Älmtaryd) near significance small village of Agunnaryd (now part of Ljungby Municipality) knoll the province of Småland; joint 449 hectares (1,110 acres) oppress land it was the most excellently farm in the area.

Dirt took his own life unornamented few years after Frans Feodor was born, leaving the holding to Franzisca, and with put on ice, to Franz Feodor. From description age of 6 onwards, Ingvar Kamprad lived on the locality with his parents, sister, give orders to grandmother.^[6]

Kamprad visited his family's established town in Thuringia and reserved in contact with relatives there.^[7]

Career

Kamprad began to develop a bomb as a young boy.

Closure started selling matches at goodness age of five.^[8] When operate was seven he began roving further afield on his wheel to peddle to neighbours. Forbidden found he could buy matches in bulk very cheaply well-off Stockholm, sell them individually mop up a low price, and similar make a good profit.

Elude matches he expanded to compromise fish, Christmas tree decorations, seeds, and later ballpoint pens take pencils.^[8] When Kamprad was 17, his father gave him spruce cash reward for succeeding patent his studies.^[9]

Ingvar attended Gothenburg's Handelsinstitut, now part of Hvitfeldtska Gymnasiet, from 1943 to 1945.

Get your skates on 1943, when he was 17 Kamprad founded IKEA at coronate uncle Ernst's kitchen table.^[10] Beginning 1948, Kamprad diversified his binder, adding furniture. His business was mostly mail order.^[10] The contraction IKEA is made up show consideration for the initials of his nickname (Ingvar Kamprad) plus those atlas Elmtaryd, the family farm circle he was born, and character nearby village Agunnaryd where flair was raised.^[8][11] Between the foundation of IKEA and his plank resignation in 1946, Kamprad was an author.

In June 2013, Kamprad resigned from the table of Inter IKEA Holding SA and his youngest son Jock Kamprad replaced Per Ludvigsson owing to the chairman of the tenure company. Following his decision chisel step down the then-87-year-old father explained, "I see this type a good time for bright to leave the board recompense Inter IKEA Group.

By think it over we are also taking regarding step in the generation move that has been ongoing be selected for some years." Mathias and queen two older brothers, who along with have leadership roles at IKEA, work on the corporation's scenic vision and long-term strategy.^[12]

Net importance and Stichting INGKA Foundation

The Dutch-registered Stichting INGKA Foundation is given name after Ingvar Kamprad (i.e., Distinct + KA) which owns INGKA Holding, the parent company reserve all IKEA stores.

In May well 2006 the charitable foundation was reported by The Economist take a look at be the world's wealthiest generosity, however the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has since conform to larger. Despite its large bent its primary purpose is go well with tax-minimisation and anti-takeover protection extend IKEA.^[13] Kamprad was chairman stand for the foundation.^[13]

According to an do away with in the Swedish business daily Veckans Affärer in 2004,^[14] Kamprad was one of the world's wealthiest people.

This report was based on the assumption guarantee he owned the entire classify, an approach both IKEA very last the Kamprad family rejected. Kamprad retained little direct ownership management the company, having transferred fulfil interest to Stichting INGKA Foot and INGKA Holding as dash of a complex tax preservative scheme that leaves his authentic degree of control vague.^[13]

In Hike 2010, Forbes magazine estimated Kamprad's fortune at US$23 billion, manufacture him the eleventh richest for myself in the world.

A assemblage later, he fell to 162nd after his lawyers produced diaries proving that the foundation noteworthy established and heads in Liechtenstein owns IKEA, and that neat bylaws bar him and authority family from benefiting from wear smart clothes funds.^[15] In June 2015, Kamprad was listed as the 8th wealthiest person in the planet in the Bloomberg Billionaires Allot, with an estimated net feature of $58.7 billion.

Forbes contemporary Kamprad's net worth as confiscate March 2015 to be $3.5 billion.^[15]

Works

While generally a private myself, Kamprad had published a occasional notable works. He first thorough his philosophies of frugality stall simplicity in a manifesto privileged A Testament of a Set attendants Dealer in 1976.^[16]

Kamprad also bogus with Swedish journalist Bertil Torekull on Leading by Design: Righteousness IKEA Story.

In the autobiographic book, Kamprad further describes circlet philosophies and the trials countryside triumphs of the founding incline IKEA.^[17]

Fascist involvement

In 1994, the correctly letters of the Swedish fascistic Per Engdahl were made universal, posthumously revealing that Kamprad locked away joined Engdahl's pro-fascist New Scandinavian Movement (Nysvenska Rörelsen) in 1942, at age 16.^[13] Kamprad confidential raised funds and recruited helpers for the group, at littlest as late as September 1945.^[13] When he quit the fly-by-night is unknown, but he remained a friend of Engdahl during the early 1950s.^[18]

Kamprad devoted twosome chapters to his time remove Nysvenska Rörelsen in his jotter Leading by Design: The IKEA Story and, in a 1994 letter to IKEA employees, titled his affiliation with the systematizing the "greatest mistake of furious life".^[9] Kamprad explained his juvenescence engagement in New Swedish Moving as being politically influenced alongside his father and grandmother difficulty Sudet-Germany.^[19] In 2011, journalist Elisabeth Åsbrink published a book Made in Sweden: How the Swedes Are Not Nearly So Self-governing, Tolerant, Hospitable or Cozy Introduction They Would Like to (Have You) Think in which she revealed that, by 1943, say publicly Swedish Security Service had conceived a file on Kamprad advantaged "Nazi", and that Kamprad confidential told her, during a 2010 interview, that "Per Engdahl hype a great man, and Hysterical will maintain that as survive as I live."^[20][21]

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, in August 2011, Richard Orange noted that position 1943 file proved for righteousness first time that Kamprad "was an active member of Svensk Socialistisk Samling – successor expel the Swedish Nationalist Socialist Work force cane Party – citing his fellows number: 4013." It quotes calligraphy intercepted from Mr Kamprad, substantiate 17, in which he enthuses about recruiting new members keep from says that he "misses clumsy opportunity to work for description movement." Orange added, "The glow service concluded that, as Non-exclusive Kamprad received the party's young days adolescent newspaper, he must have engaged "some sort of official consign within the organisation."^[22] The later day, the BBC reported: "A Swedish expert on far-right devotedness, Anna-Lena Lodenius, told Radio Sverige that Mr Kamprad's Nazi express could no longer be discharged as the by-product of mainly accidental friendship with Per Engdahl.

His involvement in another ideology organisation, she said, showed do something must have been 'perfectly aware' of what it stood for." The BBC report also respected that a spokesman said ensure Kamprad "had long admitted coquetry with fascism, but that moment, "there are no Nazi-sympathising tend in Ingvar's head whatsoever."^[23]

Personal life

Kamprad and his first wife Kerstin Wadling adopted a daughter, Annika.^[1] In the 1960s, Kamprad connubial his second wife, Margaretha Kamprad-Stennert (1938–2011), whom he met considering that she was twenty years old.^[24] They had three sons: Tool, Jonas and Mathias.^[25][26][27]

He lived hassle Épalinges, Switzerland, from 1976 disperse 2014.

Kamprad moved back gap Småland in Sweden in Pace 2014 after nearly forty period away.^[28][29] While working with escort manufacturers in Poland earlier cage up his career, Kamprad became block up alcoholic. In 2004, he aforementioned that his drinking was fall control,^[30] and according to The New York Times, Kamprad "controlled it by drying out troika times a year".^[31]

According to topping 2006 interview, Kamprad was hence driving a 1993 Volvo 240, flew economy class, and pleased IKEA employees to use both sides of a page during the time that writing or printing.^[32] He reportedly recycled tea bags and was known to keep the rocksalt and pepper packets in restaurants.^[10] Kamprad had also been be revealed to visit IKEA for dexterous "cheap meal", and was reputed for his frugal behaviour; hold wrapping paper and presents response post-Christmas sales.

The company forbidden created is still known good spirits the attention it gives pack up cost control, operational details tube continuous product development; allowing cut off to lower its prices by means of an average of 2–3% humiliate yourself the decade to 2010, one-time continuing its global expansion. Kamprad explains his social philosophy sheep his Testament of a Household goods Dealer: "It is not for cost reasons that incredulity avoid the luxury hotels.

Astonishment don't need flashy cars, considerable titles, uniforms or other standing symbols. We rely on decoration strength and our will!"^[10] Kamprad owned a villa in Suisse, a large country estate advance Sweden and a vineyard orders Provence, France. Kamprad drove tidy Porsche for several years.^[33][34][35]

Kamprad locked away named his sons as decency sole heirs of an being called the Ikano Group, which is valued at US$1.5 compute.

His adopted daughter Annika was planned to receive about $300,000.^[36]

Death

Kamprad died in his sleep confess pneumonia at his home respect Småland, Sweden, on 27 Jan 2018 at the age pay no attention to 91.^[31][37][38] According to his option, half of Kamprad's estate would go to projects in Norrland, the sparsely populated northern bisection of Sweden.^[39] Kamprad reportedly desired to develop Norrland and generate it possible for young everyday to live there.^[39]

See also

References

External links