Abstract
IKEA is a privately held international low-cost home-furnishings retailer. It was founded in 1943 in Sweden by Ingvar Kamprad, but is now owned by a Dutch-registered foundation, which is still controlled by the Kamprad family. This foundation, whose offices are in the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium, is called Inter IKEA Systems B.V.; it is the owner/franchiser of the IKEA trademark and the IKEA Concept. Originally, IKEA sold pens, wallets, picture frames, table runners, watches, jewelry and nylon stockings or practically anything Kamprad found a need for that he could fill with a product at a reduced price. Furniture was first added to the IKEA product range in 1947 and, in 1955, IKEA began to design its own furniture. The company motto is: "Affordable Solutions for Better Living". At first, Kamprad sold his goods out of his home and by mail order, but eventually a store was opened in a nearby town. It was also the location for the first IKEA "warehouse" store which came to serve as a model for IKEA establishments elsewhere and on March 23, 1963, the first store outside Sweden was opened in Asker, a Norwegian municipality outside Oslo. This opening marked the beginning of a long trend of internationalization.
