IKEA Story: How a 17-year-old dyslexic Swedish boy build the largest furniture company in the world?
- Ridhi Jain
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
How about if anyone says that one of the largest brands in the world started with a simple teenage boy with dyslexia and a dream? That is what happened to IKEA - a business that turned the world into a cultural phenomenon with inexpensive furniture. Starting with flat-pack magic and Swedish product names, IKEA not only sells chairs and shelves, but also a new way of life.
From a farm to a Global Icon: The brief history of IKEA
IKEA began in 1943 when a 17-year-old Swedish boy, Ingvar Kamprad, started a small mail-order company. IKEA was not even selling furniture. It began as a mail-order company, but they quickly discovered that furniture, which every family needs, had tremendous unexploited opportunities.
In 1953, the game changed forever. Kamprad discovered that furniture could be transported on a flat pack and assembled at home after one of his workers took off a table so that it could fit into a car. This flat-pack furniture invention helped to cut the costs significantly and made IKEA known as a cheap, practical, and minimalist design. By the 1980s, IKEA was a universal retail giant that changed the way people furnish their houses.
How did a 17-year-old dyslexic Swedish boy build the largest furniture company in the world?
IKEA is the largest furniture brand today. Kamprad's dyslexia led him to develop systems that were easy, visual, and memorable. IKEA furniture does not have complicated product numbers but has its own names, easier to remember, and now they are a legend worldwide. The motto of IKEA: quality need not be expensive.
One of the workers took away the legs to fit in the furniture, and Ingvar immediately understood: furniture should be carried away unassembled. Kamprad did not see luxury, but accessibility. He also wanted the youth, families, students, and low-income families to buy the well-designed homes that formed the base of the largest furniture empire in the world.
IKEA Impact: The Facts, Ads & Cultural Moments That Made It Unstoppable
The Flat-Pack Revolution (1956)
IKEA has transformed the way of buying furniture by making furniture Flat-Pack that customers can put together themselves. This was not only cheaper, but it also made the customers feel part of the creation process.
Lamp - The Ad That Changed Everything.
The emotional ad by Spike Jonze fooled people into feeling sympathetic towards a neglected lamp, only to give the punchline:
"You feel bad for the lamp. That’s crazy"
It has turned out to be one of the most popular campaigns of IKEA.
IKEA Catalog - More Popular than the Bible.
The IKEA catalog printed more than 200 million copies every year - more than most books on Planet Earth - for decades. It was influencing the interior style of the world way before Pinterest.
The Largest IKEA in South Korea.
The Gwangmyeong store covers more than 635,000 sq ft, a massive presence of IKEA in the world.
The Meatballs that turned into an International Sensation.
IKEA is not only about furniture, but it has also built a food culture. Their 150 million meatballs sold every year became part of the shopping experience.
Where IKEA Stands in the Global Market: Value, Reach & Retail Power
Brand Value: $22 billion (2024)
IKEA is worth $22 billion, making it one of the strongest retail brands, and it controls the home-furnishing industry. In 2024, IKEA is ranked as the seventhmost valuable retail brand worldwide by Statista.
Annual revenue: €44.6 billion (2025)
IKEA's annual revenue for 2025 is valued at €44.6 billion, which once again proves its unparalleled leadership. Its growth is constant year by year due to its strong global supply chain and iconic product design.
Global Presence: 60+ countries
has 496 IKEA stores spread across 63 countries as of 2025, from Beijing to Bengaluru. IKEA has huge stores across the globe with millions of customers visiting the stores every year.
Market Dominance
It is the biggest furniture retailer all over the globe, dominating Europe and Asia in structured home furnishing markets.
IKEA's role in rebuilding after the War
IKEA was established during World War II, but it was not directly engaged in the production of supplies used in the war. Nevertheless, IKEA was defined by the economic situation that was formed after the war. Sweden also encountered a shortage of materials, increased prices, and economic strain - making Kamprad reconsider manufacturing.
IKEA focused on simplicity, low prices, and assembly, which was closely informed by the economic post-war spirit to ensure that the company could maintain low costs of rebuilding families. The demand for cheap furniture in rebuilding Europe contributed immensely to the early growth of the brand, and the struggles of the period were an essential element of the IKEA development.
The story of IKEA is an example that does not require wealth to create a world-changing idea; it only requires creativity, a strong will, and a thorough understanding of the needs of people. As a dyslexic teenage boy, Ingvar Kamprad has created a global retailing brand that has transformed furniture shopping to date. And even now, decades later, the mission of Ingvar Kamprad has not changed: to provide a better everyday life to the many people.
For more such iconic and interesting stories, keep navigating to The ScreenLight.
