Heritage

Ingvar Kamprad (1926-2018), the founder of IKEA, had a true and burning desire for his lifework and at an early stage wished to secure the independence and longevity of the IKEA Concept and make IKEA self-reliant in the matter of building up financial resources. To help him achieve this he established Inter IKEA Group and Interogo Foundation in the 1980s.

The Testament of a Furniture Dealer

In 1976, Ingvar Kamprad, wrote The Testament of a Furniture Dealer. A guiding document in which he describes the basic principles he so passionately believed in, such as: “Let us be self-reliant in the matter of building up financial resources”.

The first page of The Testament of a Furniture Dealer also clearly defines the IKEA business idea: “We shall offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them”, as well as the overall IKEA vision: “To create a better everyday life for the many people".

One of the great entrepreneurs of our time

In 2013, Ingvar Kamprad resigned from the Advisory Council of Interogo Foundation and renounced his right to appoint members to the Advisory Council. Since then, successors are appointed through nomination from the outgoing member, followed by a vote in the Advisory Council. This shift in how members are appointed had been planned for a long time.

Ingvar Kamprad – recognised globally as one of the great entrepreneurs of our time – passed away peacefully at his home in Småland, Sweden, on 27 January 2018.

The culture and values of Interogo Foundation are identical to those of IKEA and reflect the entrepreneurial spirit of the late Ingvar Kamprad.

IKEA Culture and values

Changes in 2023

In 2023, Interogo Foundation demerged into two separate enterprise foundations (Unternehmensstiftung). The new Inter IKEA Foundation became the ultimate owner of Inter IKEA Holding BV, the IKEA related business. Interogo Foundation continued to be the ultimate owner of Interogo Holding AG, the investment business.

The purposes of the two enterprise foundations are identical, namely to secure independence and longevity of the IKEA Concept and the financial reserves needed to ensure this.

Inter IKEA Foundation focuses on governing the IKEA businesses and securing independence and longevity of the IKEA Concept. Interogo Foundation focuses on governing the investment business and securing the necessary financial reserves.

The demerger further strengthened business focus and simplified alignment with upcoming regulations. It enabled the two businesses to keep different financial years and to continue to operate in a decentralised and efficient way.