Introducing (The richest man on earth)...Ingvar Kamprad

www.thelocal.se ^ | 12/02/2006 | Paul Mahony

[WesternCulture]

Forbes doesn't recognize Kamprad as the richest man alive because the editors claim Kamprad "technically speaking" isn't in control of the whole of IKEA himself.

On the contrary, several persons who possess insight into this matter view it as more or less evident that Kamprad has made certain financial arrangements in order to avoid taxation by Swedish authorities and is in fact in perfect, sole, control of the company he founded back in 1943 in Älmhult, Småland, Sweden.

As I view things, This petty controversy doesn't matter much. The achievement of Kamprad towers above it.

Just like this founder of a truly magnificent company makes me feel proud of being Swedish, Americans ought to feel proud over someone like Bill Gates.

Some of the things Microsoft and IKEA have sold me haven't been all that well-functioning. However, most products I've bought of them have been very priceworthy considering their actual cost. This aspect is the key to their immense success.

[Millee]

Well, he's 80 years old now and is still in charge of the whole show.

I think I'm in love. No..really...I love him for his mind....

[JRios1968]

I think I'm in love. No..really...I love him for his mind....

Ok, Anna Nichole, what have you done with Millee??

[texgal]

IKEA sells nothing of real quality. I guess it's ok if your a college kid or just starting out.

[1rudeboy]

Back in the late 90's, I bought a "table" that was an accessory to an Ikea desk/workstation unit, for the purpose of using it as my primary computer table. It was cheaper to purchase it on a visit to California (from the Carson store), and pay for delivery to Chicago via common-carrier, than purchase its equivalent in one of Chicago's "Scandanavian-style" stores. I remember thinking that those Chicago stores had better wake up.

[Jaysun]

I think I'm in love. No..really...I love him for his mind....

Me too. I'm suddenly gay, I think. It's his personality that really sends me flying.

Jason

[the_devils_advocate_666]

Forbes 2006 Richest People:

The Top Ten

1. William Gates
2. Warren Buffett
3. Carlos Slim Helú
4. Ingvar Kamprad
5. Lakshmi Mittal
6. Paul Allen
7. Bernard Arnault
8. Prince Alwaleed
9. Kenneth Thomson
10. Li Ka-shing

[jveritas]

Not just bad quality but ugly design as well. In the US we can get better quality furniture, better design, and less expensive than IKEA products. In Europe people have to pay much more to get better quality and better design than IKEA stuff.

[Atlas Sneezed]

IKEA sells nothing of real quality.

---

You can say the same for most furniture stores. You can pay a lot for lousy quality. You can pay far more for good quality. IKEA gives you mediocre quality (limited lifespan, but nice design) for a low price. Some call that "value."

[texgal]

Not just bad quality but ugly design as well.

I didn't want to get into personal preferences like design, but I happen to agree. Most of it is just plain ugly.

If you invest in quality pieces a little at a time and take care of them, you'll end up spending a whole lot less over time and have some nice furniture in the end.

[Ol' Sox]

...10 per cent of all Europeans currently alive were conceived in IKEA beds...

This might explain the declining birthrate in Europe. Cheap fiberboard doesn't lend itself to, um, athletic endeavors.

[The Louiswu]

"KEA sells nothing of real quality. I guess it's ok if your a college kid or just starting out."

IMHO I disagree with that - my wife and I have purchased several IKEA products and have made special trips to the Chicago/Shaumburg location to shop and we have found that many of their items are superior in quality, looks and price to anything we can purchase locally.

(And the meatballs are terrific!)

[RockinRight]

Gutvik? That sounds a bit like when German people comment on the quality of their sexual intercourse.

LOL!!!!!

[truth_seeker]

"IKEA sells nothing of real quality."

Nor do they claim to. Prices are too low for "real quality" as you call it.

What they do sell is functionality, clever use of space, economical pricing, etc.

If one wants quality Scandinavian furniture, it is out there. In the states and in Europe it was popular in the 50s and 60s, although the styles originated in the 20s and 30s.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I understand that the Ikea shipping containers are the heaviest ones around. Essentially packed fully with particle board, and little else. 50 lb/cubic foot, or about 60 tons per container.

[Atlas Sneezed]

If you invest in quality pieces a little at a time and take care of them, you'll end up spending a whole lot less over time and have some nice furniture in the end.

---

And if you are starting out, and want a place to sit, sleep, and eat, without looking like a Salvation Army store, then Ikea is ideal.

(And the furniture is perfectly sturdy.)

[griswold3]

I recently heard of Mittal's acquistion. I think you could move the steel mogul up the list.

[SouthernBoyupNorth]

Actually I LIKE their modular book cases.... Adaptable and changeable as well as stable and stain-able. They work very nicely and while not the pinnacle of interior design are functional with understated elegance.

[Getready]

one word...
IKRAPPA...

Seriously, though, got sick of the WOBBLE chairs, and
the SHARDZ glassware, CZHEPOE quality, at the price...
I'd rather go to the Thrift store, and use a little
elbow grease and clean up some old furniture...has
a little character too...

[Sonny M]

I remember doing a paper on him and IKEA when I was in grad school.

I was kind of stunned by how he was like teflon based on so many various things he would say or believe or act .

To his credit, he is a good business man, but I'm stunned none of any real controversy has ever totally stuck with him or to him or to his company.

Ironically, (or maybe not so), he is pretty open about his views, beliefs and business practises, one of the more easier papers I ever had to write.