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Two friends browsing IKEA products while enjoying a cup of coffee at a Café.

The Ingka Group story

Our heritage

Growing from our Swedish roots

The first IKEA company was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, in Småland, southern Sweden. Back then, life wasn’t always easy in that part of the world. People had to be resourceful to make ends meet, and by working hard together, they managed to make a little go a long way.

This approach continues to shape our way of doing business, and we take pride in our heritage, which strengthens and makes us who we are today. As an IKEA franchisee with IKEA retail operations all around the world, it also drives our culture of togetherness, simplicity and responsibility.

Ingvar Kamprad standing in the IKEA store wear-house with a cardboard box.

Our business today

Ingka Group consists of three business areas.

Our core business is IKEA Retail, which consists of 392 IKEA stores across 32 markets, and counting. Each year, we welcome 657 million visitors to these stores, and we have more than 4.3 billion visits to IKEA.com.

Ingka Centres creates great meeting places where each centre is anchored by an IKEA store. So far, we’ve established 45 experience-oriented shopping centres across Europe, Russia and China – and more are on the way.

We make responsible investments in our core business, or in areas that add value for our customers. Ingka Investments allows us to grow our IKEA Retail business, by partnering with companies that share our values.

Dad and child enjoying a sunny day on a balcony.

The next chapter

The world around us is changing – and quickly. As more people move into big cities, our living spaces are getting smaller. The climate crisis is beginning to affect us all. The planet’s limited resources mean unsustainable consumption must be addressed. At the same time, digitalisation and new technology are changing many things for the better. All this means both new challenges and new opportunities. It means we’ve got a real chance to make a positive impact on society and our planet.

As our industry continues to change, we are determined to put us in the lead. This is why we’re completely updating our business model. In the biggest transformation in IKEA history, we’re simplifying what we do – and how we do it. Our aim is to become more convenient, affordable and sustainable for the many people.

To support this transformation, we have listed the 10 most important jobs we need to do in the next three years to get there.

Woman pulling a curtain aside, while the sun is shining.
father reading a bedtime story for his child.
Life at Home

Our latest research into life at home

Our fascination with life at home is what makes us IKEA. Every year, we ask thousands of people to share their thoughts and feelings about where they live in our Life at Home Report. We want to learn what makes life at home better, so we can help people not just survive but thrive there. It’s an ongoing research project that feels more important than ever.

People & Culture

Working together

Simplicity, cost consciousness, entrepreneurship and togetherness are important to us. With humbleness, we want to lead by example and contribute to a better tomorrow for our customers, our business and ourselves.

Our key values are the foundation of everything we do:

  • Togetherness
  • Caring for people and planet
  • Cost-consciousness
  • Simplicity
  • Renew and improve
  • Different with a meaning
  • Give and take responsibility
  • Lead by example

 

Our co-workers form the very foundation of our business, and without their passion, knowledge and customer focus, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Because it’s by understanding our customers’ changing needs that our co-workers help them create a better everyday life at home. 

We believe moving forward is the best way of honouring our heritage. Creating new innovative solutions by investing in digital competence and new capabilities. Doing this without losing sight of our roots, vision and values. 

To guide us on this journey, we have our Ingka Group people strategy. This puts the focus on our co-workers, by providing a framework for our priorities that helps us stay close to our vision and culture – and even closer to our customers.

Key movements in our people strategy

  • People choose IKEA for what we stand for

    We want to be a company that people are proud to be a part of. So our values are always at the heart of everything we do – and are what make us stand out from the crowd.

  • Engaged IKEA co-workers, with customers at heart

    Working with us is like working with friends. We’re a diverse group of down-to-earth people with a passion for home furnishing and a vision to create a better everyday for the many people. Our culture of togetherness, enthusiasm and fun means many talents find their way to us. And we’re always looking for more people who share our positive mindset.

  • A modern, lean, agile Ingka Group that’s fit for growth

    We’re transforming our business for the future, and over the next three years, will make the changes needed to lay the foundations for our long-term growth. To do this, we’re reassessing all parts of our organisation – simplifying how we lead, work and organise, as well as how we find new talent.

Equality, diversity and inclusion at Ingka Group

The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life. We believe that a better everyday is also an equal everyday – at home, at work and everywhere in between.

We want to contribute to a more fair and equal life for our co-workers, customers and communities, and we want IKEA to be a place where people of all genders, ethnicities, races, nationalities, abilities and sexual orientations feel welcome.

At Ingka Group, we are aiming to create a workplace that is as diverse as the world is, and as inclusive as the world should be. We have pledged to increase ethnic, racial and national diversity at all levels of leadership in 32 countries, by 2024. Half of our managers are women and our ambition is to have a 50/50 gender balance across all levels and positions, including boards and committees, by the end of 2022. We have a long tradition of supporting LGBT+ rights and foster a culture where everyone feels safe to be themselves.

Cashier helping customer by the cash register in the IKEA store.