Ingvar Kamprad, the Swedish founder/owner of Ikea, is richer than Bill Gates. Who knew?
What surprises me most is how little of an American market he has. I live in central Georgia and the nearest Ikea is in D.C. (though Atlanta will be getting three in the next few years). Imagine how wealthy he’d be if he did the “Rooms to Go” or “Bed Bath & Beyond” route of chain stores.
So for those who have shopped at Ikea or own Ikea furniture, do you generally recommend it?
Well, as pointed out (too briefly) in the article you linked, this claim is disputed. BBC News gives a bit more information.
As for their low market presence in the U.S., a big expansion is in the works – 50 stores in the next 10 years.
And, one last thing – they really need to work on their product names.
The BBC news article hints at the Swedish Tax laws…I remember reading it is possible for someone in Sweden to pay 110% (not a typo) taxes.
I think it was also true that at one time, ABBA was the largest export of Sweden, and that the group only stayed in the country because a tax exemption was made especially for them. Anyone from Sweden is invited to correct my memory, but those facts were widely publicized in Germany when I lived there.
I love IKEA and only wish they would come to Las Vegas…
However…that damn little tool, the L form thingie, can drive you nuts. Plus, it seemed that every other item I ever bought there was missing something! Their customer service, however, was always quick in giving you whatever part that was missing.
Plus…as a Gay man, how could I dislike a company that was one of the first, if not the first, company to show two openly Gay men shopping on a tv commercial?
BTW…try the Swedish Meatballs at their cafeterias! They are really good!
Don’t know how their stores are setup elsewhere, but here in Madrid you enter on the second floor and can’t get out until you walk through the entire store and exit out on the first floor. Minimum 30 minutes to get in and out. I suppose some people enjoy the Disney-like buying experience but it makes me feel trapped in a cheapware hell.
Yeah, you’d think if he was that rich he could afford to make decent maps for his stores. In fact the need for a map is one of my biggest problems with the place - you don’t need it just to find the products, you need it to know where YOU are.
My family and I are invariably fighting by the time we get to the check-out. Nonetheless I enjoy the place, it smells funny and it can be quite therapeutic if you’re not there to actually BUY anything.