IKEA

IKEA offers affordable furniture and home furnishings that help people equip their homes, alongside food and retail services. Its self-assembly products use flatpack packaging to reduce transportation costs and damage. IKEA operates as a franchise system comprising companies with different owners: Inter IKEA Systems B.V. owns the IKEA Concept and acts as worldwide franchisor, while franchisees sell the product range.

Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in Sweden in 1943, adding furniture in 1948. IKEA adopted flatpack in 1953 rather than inventing it. Its Democratic Design method, formally introduced in 1995, evaluates products across five dimensions: form, function, quality, sustainability and price. Jakub Jankowski became CEO of Inter IKEA Group in January 2026; Juvencio Maeztu has led Ingka Group as CEO and President since November 2025.

As of 2026, Ingka Group is the largest IKEA franchisee, representing about 90% of IKEA retail sales and operating retail locations in 32 countries. Across its 13 franchisee groups, IKEA reported €44.6 billion in FY25 retail sales, down 1% from FY24, while sales volumes increased 2.6%. Stores recorded 915 million visits, up 1.9%. These figures describe the worldwide franchise system, distinct from Inter IKEA Group’s own financial results.