Ingvar Kamprad

His married Margaretha Kamprad-Stennert in 1963, and reportedly she was his second. However, details about his first wife are unavailable.

He is the father of four children named Jonas Kamprad, Peter Kamprad, Annika KIhlbom and Mathias Kamprad.

During his business venture in Poland, he developed an addiction to alcohol. However, in 2004, he was quoted saying that he has controlled his drinking habits.

Kamprad was born on 30th March, 1926, in Pjätteryd, Sweden, and grew up in the Älmtaryd (formerly known as Elmtaryd) region of Ljungby Municipality.

He had a good sense of trading from a very childhood and as a young boy, he calculated that he could make a profit by purchasing matches in huge amount and vending them individually. This was his first business venture and later, he traded in fish, seeds, pencils, pens and even decorative pieces.

He was also good at studies and as a prize for getting good scores Ingvar’s father presented him with a sum of money. Soon after, he came up with the idea of establishing a startup company.

In 1943, the venture was launched with the name ‘IKEA’ which was coined with the initials of his name, his family’s farm Elmtaryd and the neighbouring village Agunnaryd.

Starting off with a mail-order mode of business dealing in small stuffs like wallets, photo frames, stockings and pens, this company is the largest furniture retailer of the world in present day.

During the same time, he was engaged with the group ‘New Swedish Movement’ (Nysvenska Rörelsen), which was led by fascist leader Per Engdahl. Later, in his life Kamprad said that his political involvement in his teenage was owing to his grandmother’s and father’s influences.

He expanded his startup company ‘IKEA’ in 1948, by including furniture in its assortment. From small order deliveries, the company then transported their goods through trucks and through cargoes in train.

The company earned good name in the furniture trade and by 1950, ‘IKEA’ was transformed into a company which dealt only in furniture.

He is the founder of the company ‘IKEA’ and the success of the company is owing to the innovative ideas of this astute entrepreneur. His most significant gift to the world is the concept of ‘Ready-to-assemble furniture’, which created a milestone in the making of furniture.