Kamprad also disinherited his daughter in favor of his sons. The daughter might have "conspired" in the disinheritance but I suspect this was as much if not more a problem of his bad daddery in raising her than her failing as an adult.
15
The comments on this obituary suddenly reveal for me -- with a startling clarity -- how Trump was able to become president. It's right here in the public's words: the admiration for profit and money-making, a willful ignorance of the past, the attraction to the appearance of things rather than the substance, and the willingness to turn a blind eye. There you have it: a perfect profile of American consumers/voters.
These comments on the life of some tax-evading Swedish businessman are chilling and (weirdly) make me more concerned for America's future than anything else I've seen lately. How does it go -- the trading of your birthright for a bowl of porridge? Or in this case, for a cheap sofa.
12
Anything from Ikea that requires assembly is junk, and I could never forgive Kamprad for being a proud member of a Nazi group, even after the war. They have managed to fool millions of Americans with their stylish Swedish image, but they haven't fooled me.
9
Hate gets you nowhere no matter what side of the fence you are on.
28
I wonder if Ikea sells particle board, knocked down caskets that survivors can assemble for a low cost, from the home funeral.
55
May be worth paying the assembly fee for that one.
1
I just wish that his furniture didn't have the occasional and tragic habit of crushing little children.
While I don't envy anyone born in Europe during the 1920s, his life seems to have been an exercise in accumulating money.
6
Two newspapers, same story:
Washington Post headline: "Nazi past followed Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad to his death."
New York Times headline: "Ingvar Kamprad, Founder of Ikea and Creator of a Global Empire, Dies at 91"
12
A company that is structured to pay no income tax, to any country, with profits flowing through a series of trusts. And yes Mr. Kamprad was a member of the Swedish Nazi Party in his youth, many Swedes were sympathizers.
Now if his stores weren't so darn hip and progressive, the media would be all over it as an evil empire.
12
I started buying Ikea furniture when I was stationed in Germany in the US Army in the late 1970s. I found it mildly ironic that most of it was made in the DDR--the whole point of our being there was to defend against the Russian and East German armies. But most of the items we purchased then we still have--they've survived multiple military moves and years in storage. I think the quality has declined a bit as the manufacture has shifted to other countries, but it still remains remarkable value, and it was helpful in furnishing our daughter's apartment as she finished college (about half the stuff came from Ikea, the other half from flea markets). No one offers a chair as comfortable and as affordable as the Poang--for that alone, we should remember Mr. Kamprad!
9
Another successful entrepreneur with dyslexia. You have to be resourceful and driven to overcome the handicap and struggle by yourself because most employers will not hire you. The lonely years may drive one to strange paths, but many of them turn out to be wonderful contributors to our society.
7
Well there is some piling on here of the author. I agree with many commentators who are like me devoted readers of the obituaries, as they always remind me that the real lives of real people can be far more heroic, and compelling, or chilling, than the fake lives of the personalities manufactured by our media or our celebrity culture.
The obits I think are meant to provide history but also directly or indirectly, an analysis of the lives they encapsulate, and the formative influences and effects on the subjects of the structure of the lives they led, or a view into a the soul of the subject. These are the things that link the reader to the subject best, not a list of the persons accomplishments or failures . Mr Kamprad's committeemetn to fascism specifically in 1942 tells us something important about his way of thinking and must have influenced the way he lived and organized IKEA. I doubt you can separate the life and its accomplishments from this dark corner of his life. Lifelong alcoholism? Lifelong asceticism? Seems unlikely all these factors are unrelated, and all these factors are key to understanding the man.
7
Like most of us, he had flaws but I can from personal encounters with him guarantee he was fun, caring and super smart. Working and travelling with him was a treat, and I did so for 20 years and have no regrets. As with all successful entrepreneurs, he found ways to make the best use of the money the company brought in. Tax planning and sourcing products around the world is an obligation to maximize profit to secure the future of the company and its employees. Razor sharp customer focus and long-term planning. Apple, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Google.....the list is long of great entrepreneurs doing just that.
The world is a better place thanks to Ingvar and I'm grateful being able calling him my friend. RIP
17
It remains that IKEA is such a fascinating phenomenon, and - perhaps ironically, given how Kamprad made a complete distinction between himself and Inter IKEA Systems, B. V. and INGKA Holding, the two main companies which hold the organisation together - I know of few businesses so tied to their founder. I'm not sure whether I love or loathe IKEA. Certainly, I love their furniture, their clean sense of design and their range of house plants (I have so many IKEA houseplants) but under the surface, this is an organisation which very frequently walks the proverbial moral tightrope. I studied IKEA's corporate structure last year and I still don't really understand it; it is convoluted to avoid taxes. It means I can buy a 99p English breakfast and £3 photo frames but there must be grander implications. Like Kamprad, IKEA is opaque and aloof.
I understand there's a lot of discussion about whether this article is right to make such close reference to Kamprad's fascist past - it certainly deserves a mention, but I think the Times might be shocked to learn how common this sort of thing is. Certainly, these revelations made a great number of older Europeans very uncomfortable when they came to light.
Maybe there's a lesson here about how Kamprad and his business needn't be good or evil - there needn't exist that dichotomy with which we are so obsessed. Instead, they lie somewhere between the two: Kamprad is probably more human than we often care to believe.
9
Minimal quality in a flat pack, with nice design.
Bare minimum of fasteners.
It falls apart with one move, as particle board will.
Nowhere near as sturdy as old SCAN stuff was.
How are the veneers sourced?
1
There is an interesting streak of animosity towards Ikea here and there, not least in the US, but also in Sweden. One commentator mentions "class war", and perhaps that's where it hurts.
This man Kamprad maintained insistently, throughout his life, that his main objective with Ikea was to give ordinary people the opportunity to have descent furniture as cheap as possible. This smells to some degree of socialism, which for certain people is worse than fascism. (The enormous sales volumes still made him extremely wealthy.)
The same people here that look down on Ikea are mostly the same who despise our 120 year old, non-profit cooperative enterprise with a chain of retail stores covering the whole country. The instinctive disdain for the not so well dressed and their favorite stores is clearly a product of our successful propaganda model.
When Ingvar Kamprad's fascist history blew up some twenty years ago it became a giant scandal in Swedish media. The man was haunted and vilified beyond limits and had probably been forced to retire, had he been an employed CEO and not his own man.
It's all very biased. There are not so few conservative pundits here, high ranked CEOs and other pillars of the society who were active members of all kinds of extreme parties in the 1960s, "misdemeanors" mercifully forgotten by media.
2
“Instructions provided” has got to be the understatement of the millennium. If I continue reading this article will I come across “assembly tools included” also?
1
IKEA uses an absurd amount of wood. They have very timid initiatives to "put back" what they take. As a company, their charity is insignificant.
Maybe now that Mr Kamprad passed away, the board will address the company's impact in a more significant way.
4
Well, I guess I was not meant to be an Ikea customer.
Though an engineer, I found it difficult to assemble these Ikea contraptions.
Also, I never understood their minimal designs when in America for the most part, square footage is hardly an issue.
Finally, the furniture was simply not comfortable where, like that New Yorker cartoon, you dould flop down, put your feet up ansy,"ok, Walter, lay it on me."
God bless this man who obviously meant a lot to many folks around the world - but not me.
2
On the plus side, his innovations ( 1. furniture that is attractive, affordable, portable 2. ) global marketing genius).
On the negative side, his innovations (1. hiding income, avoiding taxes
2. ability to project frugality while enjoying his Porsche and his French vinyards).
------
What would be really interesting would be a NYT investigative piece comparing the tax avoidance (or tax payment) strategies of the top 100 privately held companies.
4
Pro: Good light touch, covered flattery and controversy in Mr. Kamprad's life. Also, my MALM bed has survived a decade, and the mattress remains comfortable.
Con: Could have commented on the recent truck driver scandals.
The article mentions Mr Kamprad's admiration of fascism as though its an aberration or negative trait. But it kind of looks like his fanatical suppression of the self and other's liberty is what allowed him to be so very successful in business.
Hence, evading Sweden's high taxes gave Mr Kamprad and his business a huge advantage in the accumulation wealth. Swede's only have disposable income because of generous social policies, made possible by high tax rates.
I can't shake the feeling its like Kim Jung Un decided to open a furniture store.
It's somehow not enough to be successful in business, everyone around them needs to drink the Kool-aid.
5
“He lived in Switzerland to avoid Sweden’s high taxes...”
That’s not something to be proud of.
11
I stopped buying anything at IKEA after they locked out workers for two years because they dared to try and start a union. People who get astoundingly rich by paying poor wages do not get my admiration. And perhaps it is a sad sign of the times that many Americans seem to have no big problem with fascism.
12
more than Mr.Kamprad's dalliance with fascism, it is IKEA's tax structure as a charity that needs to be condemned. It is rumored to be the world's largest charitable foundation without doing a fraction of the work of say the Gates foundation.
7
I had a summer job clearing tables and washing dishes at the IKEA outside of Oslo, Norway in the early 1990s. One day, this old guy in jeans wanders in as we're doing the dishes. We think he might have taken a wrong turn looking for the restroom or something, but he acts like he owns the place. Greets us in swedish, asks how we're doing, whether we have enough people for the afternoon lunch rush and whether the machines are working well. Baffled, we tell him everything's fine and he walks out. A split second later, our supervisors are on us: "What did you say? What did he say? Do you know who that WAS?" We go "no" and they say Ingvar Kamprad. We still don't get it, so they spell it out: "Ingvar Kamprad. I-K. get it?" Anyway. I wonder why the article didn't mention the allegations against IKEA relying on child labor at the source of its raw materials and such. There's been more discussion of that (in Scandinavia anyway) than the fascist past. Also, Kamprad's strategies for shielding his wealth from taxation and passing it on to the next generation contains many lessons about social inequality in the modern world. Brooke Harrington should do a guest Op-Ed about it!
15
The opening line "...who hid his fascist past..." was mean-spirited and unfair. As your article later elucidates, he describes his flirtation with fascism as the worst mistake of his life and publicly repudiated them. The only reason for including that description in the opening line is to stir controversy and promote cynicism. I certainly expect better from the NYT (and in fairness, the NYT usually IS better). Many people make big mistakes when they are young and if they are sincere and honest recant their views. Mr. Kamprad surely deserves more respect in an obituary. Compared to many of the extremely rich people we read about he seems a bit of fresh air.
5
The timing of his fascist activities is signifacant. It is one thing to be a Nazi sympathiser in the 1930s; quite another to be one AFTER the end of the war, into the 1950s. The mountains of corpses, Europe in ruins, and Auschwitz were not convincing enough arguments to Mr. Kamprad.
11
It's a shame that anyone is influenced at any age by extreme politics, but the fact remains that IKEA has changed the way many people furnish their homes. I must say that IKEA has the best selection of things for organization, and at the best prices. Thank goodness for that!
3
How awful that the first thing this obituary mentions is his fascist past. It would be like saying "Steve Jobs, an American entrepreneur who abandoned his daughter..." True, yes, but not even close to being the most important thing about him. This man made stylish furniture affordable for millions of low-income people. As a liberal, I can respect that.
74
Abandoning your daughter is a personal failing; but once being an enthusiastic Nazi supporter is definitely worth mentioning.
6
“First thing”? In the edition I am reading his fascist past is not mentioned until late in the article.
2
Millions of human beings were brutally killed thanks to the rise of European fascism and its enthusiastic young scions like Kamprad. You can't really say that about Steve Jobs' abandoned daughter and frankly as a liberal married to a man whose parents escaped from Europe in 1941 I feel rather shocked by this comparison.
4
Thank you, Mr. Kamprad.
11
Ugliness for the masses. Just looking at these box stores told me all I needed to know to avoid them.
11
Ugliness?!. Very subjective opinion. Very contemporary stuff. No nuevo gotic or rococo. And if you buy it you are not stuck with it for life. You can replace it after few years.
34
Gee - what a great idea, disposable furniture !
1
Not only replace it, but easily recycle it because the market for second hand IKEA furniture is well established.
Why why does everyone have to be perfect? IKEA furniture means people of limited means can have nice stuff. If we hold everyone to some impossible standard of ever doing something stupid, the world would stop. Each and every one of us is flawed, let's hope we're not famous enough to have our flaws picked apart by commenters in the newspaper.
48
Being a Nazi is not a "flaw."
2
It's an obituary, not a paean.
4
Being a fascist in 1942 was more than just a personal flaw. He seems to have been an enthusiastic accomplice in a system that murdered millions. "Each and every one of us" is not so flawed as to do that. If we were, there would be no civilization possible at all.
1
The Times should do a follow-up piece because so many reades have described Kamprad as a Nazi--some of sounding as if they had knowledge beyond what was written in the obit. It makes some difference in one's perception of the man.
Fascism is different from Naziism, even though they are equated in popular mythology. So was he a Nazi?
In addition, joining a movement at 16 has less significance for the whole person than one might think. Some of us made some amazing choices in the 60s!
39
Becoming a fundraising member of a genocidal hate-fueled political movement is a bit different from trying LSD, or attending an orgy, or quitting work to travel cross country in a VW van. (Or maybe you're referring to the Manson family.) For more information, try reading The Washington Post's article.
2
"In addition, joining a movement at 16 has less significance for the whole person than one might think."
Millions of young men joining a fascist movement has quite a bit of significance to any society trying to resist fascism.
1
Ingvar Kamprad was a brilliant entrepreneur and the higher quality products IKEA sold/sells has made our minimalist tiny home a pleasure to live in.
21
Higher quality products from Ikea?? I've never and never will buy anything from Ikea. Even low income families shouldn't buy from there, it gets expensive over the years to replace that junk.
A very respectful piece. Refraining from calling him an evil liar took a lot of restraint.
10
Got your point John. they should have mentioned his fascistpast in the second sentence and the fact that he behaved more like a fanatic businessman than a nazi. Of course it's troubling that it took so long time for his "awakening" and noone can be sure of his motives. But his main character is business leader and his style was marked by devotion, frugality and caring for his employees.
1
A complete account of Kamprads's business practices wold have covered the fact that IKEA used East German prison labor early on. Another looking askance?
19
You can always dig into the history. Was it 40 years ago? When did businesses start caring for what happens at their distant producion plants? Yesterday? Me think Apple have some issues there, still using their products..
1
America still uses prison labor for many things and always has, often for free. Many businesses use them because of the low wages. "The average of the minimum daily wages paid to incarcerated workers for non-industry prison jobs is now 86 cents, down from 93 cents reported in 2001. The average maximum daily wage for the same prison jobs has declined more significantly, from $4.73 in 2001 to $3.45 today.Apr 10, 2017" (https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2017/04/10/wages/)
(https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-prison-industry-in-the-united-states-b...
3
May he not be missing a piece or tool in his journey wherever he is going.
RIP and condolences to the family.
15
My house is full of IKEA furniture and I don’t think I ever had a missing piece over the last thirty years. In fact I’ve probably got a ton of extra parts. Those big cardboard boxes have been great for backing prints.
7
To me, the fact that he repented of his facist past is little different from Sen. Byrd saying that being a member of the KKK was the stupidest thing he ever did. People can change and I, for one, am willing to take it at face value until shown otherwise.
30
Mr. Baynew, your closing sentence is key. I could not agree more.
1
This is the first time, in a long time, where I've read such extreme comments from an obituary piece - both harsh and complimentary. Wow - folks either respected the man or didn't, not to mention throwing in some nasty remarks towards the NYT. I am totally flabbergasted by the meanness.
For me, it all comes down to this: would the world have been better off with or without Ingvar Kamprad in it?
18
The world would have been far better off without the fascist movement he found so much to his liking.
1
Tax evader? On my boycott list. How much money does his family need?
17
Where did you read tax-evader?
2
"How much money does his family need?" As much as they are willing to earn.
What are you suggesting? That the government steal it from them and give it to someone else?
Some countries have lower taxes than others - one can live wherever one wants and there is nothing wrong with that. People pay tax in the place where they live ... except for Americans, who still have to answer to the IRS even if they live in another country.
2
It amazes me how much straight-faced outrage there is for the New York Times daring to note, in a rather understated sort of way, that Kamprad was a fascist. Apparently, the real sin is not in having been a fascist, but in daring to report the incontrovertible fact that Ingvar Kamprad was a fascist.
Truly, we live in the era of that infamous Donald Trump phrase: "very fine people on both sides”." Kamprad was apparently one of those "very fine people."
24
It’s worth noting that this obituary appears in the same edition of the paper as an op-ed piece noting the rise of neofacism in Eastern European countries like Lithuania and Poland.
18
I am not advocating that his brush with Fascism when he was 16 should be hidden. I, like many others, am saying that putting it in the first para was unnecessary.
1
This biographical sketch strikes me as somewhat unfairly written or slanted against an entire life in a way that does not seem justified by the writer. Anyway, I appreciate what IKEA has meant for me and I find no reason to be angry at the totality of the life as presented. I do appreciate the sketch in any event. and realize the writer must have thought carefully at how to present the life.
8
I grew up in Epalinges, Switzerland, in the 80s and 90s, down the street from Mr. Kamprad’s residence. Epalinges is a small wealthy town located just north of Lausanne with Lake Geneva and vistas of the French alps as a backdrop.
When I was about 10 years old, as part of a charity fundraiser, I went through the painful experience of going door to door to solicit donations. While most residents dashed my naively optimistic dreams of being a big fundraiser by dismissing me at best and chased by dogs at worst, I was greeted by Mr. Kamprad at the door of his residence with a polite smile and sense of curiosity. Now, by being one of the wealthiest people in the world and the CEO of a major organization, one could certainly avoid the tedious task of answering doors by hiring a housekeeper, aid, or avoiding answering the door all together. Nonetheless, Mr. Kamprad decided otherwise, and the modesty displayed there had a memorable impact on me. Moreover, my mother saw him several times at the local grocery store purchasing his own food and diligently separating his recyclables. Again, an unsolicited selfless action.
Mr. Kamprad wasn’t perfect, but he did have admirable qualities that are often absent from someone with his net worth and time constraints; He tried to remain true to himself and his ideals which defined IKEA’s purpose and its subsequent success. In turn, he also accidentally happened to have had a profound impact on a little boy raising money for charity.
171
Wasn't perfect?! That's like saying Harvey Weinstein is a flawed man.
9
Far from perfect would have been a better choice of words...agreed.
8
With an obituary for such a high profile and high wealth figure like Kamprad, everything should be talked about. He was a successful, complex and yet imperfect person who created a great company and carried a unique philosophy amongst companies that are capable of generating billions in yearly income. He was admirable but flawed. A very quick and balanced assessment of a person's life: ideally, what an obituary should be. And the NYT is one of the best at it.
49
Kamprad acknowledged his fascist past, and regretted it. Yet you mention that sad fact before you mention the name of his remarkable company, Ikea, which has contributed to the happiness of millions.
24
Welcome to 2018, an era in which the real sin is not having been a fascist but for daring to point out someone was a fascist.
21
No "sin" in mentioning his fascist past, but it was stilted to have that in the first line of his obit.
6
I think that considering the death toll of fascism in Europe that was to be expected.
This was fascinating, like so many NYT Obits. So very thankful that you still have a real obituary department!
39
I don’t recall Mr. Kamprad killing people, or sending them to concentration camps, or staging racist rallies, or denying people from all walks of life a decent job at Ikea but I do recall watching smiling people going to his stores on limited budgets and finding decent furniture to furnish their homes with some pride. It is a shame when people look at someone that has just died, to dig deep into the dirt to dig out long ago mistakes that had no impact on the greater things this man did for the world in general. No one can claim perfection and he was far from it but he worked hard and lived his life the way he liked and not the way you wanted. Next time I go to Ikea, I will especially remember Mr. kamprad and give thanks for giving me the choices I didn’t have before Ikea came to town.
46
You have to allow for the anti-capitalist mentality that is so strong in the 'commentariat' here, and the disdain for banal commerce. He should have paid workers more, and charged even less, to ensure he did not become rich. Failing that, give the money to governments even when their tax laws do not require it.
And the tens of millions who were happy to buy his products, they were "fooled", as many smarter people here know.
What the world would like if ruled by these people, quite frightening.
13
I think the job of a journalist is to provide the public with the full, objective picture. Given the significance of fascism in the 1930s and 1940s, it would be irresponsible, in my view, to exclude these facts. While the truth may disappoint and perhaps spoil our preferred narrative, these are just the facts.
24
Being Jewish, I'm disturbed to read that some Jewish leaders called for a boycott after Mr. Kamprad, who had committed no war crimes, genuinely renounced his views. Everyone should have a chance to grow, to change, to rethink. Perhaps this controversy was given too much weight in the obit, as is his alcoholism -- but they had to be mentioned. He was a complicated person, a revolutionary entrepreneur, and he led a complicated life.
35
I live not that far from an Ikea outlet in Northern Sweden and up until last summer tried my best to avoid the place. I lost out to a lack of other choices. Ikea represents in every way what people with and without a lot of money desire, goods that look good and are cheap. That these goods don’t necessarily last and that Ikea’s business model has decimated Sweden and Finland’s carpentry traditions and skills has been of little concern to Ikea’s shopping clientele. The Kamprad family has been the guiding light for Apple and a long list of companies to avoid paying taxes and for stashing their profits in Ikea made mattresses. But I will take inspiration from Ingvar’s flea market visits and buy antique and not-so-antique Swedish and Finnish designed and produced furniture. Truly beautiful stuff.
53
Not everyone likes used goods.
1
But most people like quality goods, which, regretfully, Ikea doesn’t sell. In some cases, cheap is fine. Not all.
6
Interesting point about Apple. In the past few years their products have looked good and don't last very long, just like Ikea products.
7
I have been reading the comments here about how this obit handled Kamperer's reltionship with nazism and fascism. I wondered how this was being handled in Swedish and Norwegian news media. I was remembering the two very different WWII experiences of "neutral" Sweden and German occupied Norway.
So I went of to use my very modest Swedish and Norwegian to read some newspapers online to see how they were handling this issue. I saw only a small sample but I tried to read the bigger dailies.
In all the major Swedish newspapers that I read the death was the sort of front page coverage you'd expect for the death of a beloved king or queen. Kamperer's IKEA was the best ambassador for Sweden the world over for the last half century and everyone knows it. There was nary a mention of his early life association with the Nazis.
Norway's press was more tempered. Except for at one business paper I had to go behind the online front page to find the obit. That paper was also the one that had about the same coverage of his Nazi associations as the NYT, although not in the lede. Some of the others mentioned it, some did not.
27
Being a Swede and reading many of the Swedish papers on line with full understanding of Swedish / the nazi subject wasn't at all avoided!
The extreme left even issued a protest pamphlet.....
But most Swedes are very impressed with the busines entrepreneur - and the awareness of the country the compnay has spread. Objectively seen, few global businesses have been built in such a way as IKEA has been built.
3
This article is a shame. A whole nation, except for a handful Swedish communists, is grateful to that man.
16
Sweden saved thousands of Jews during the war. If Sweden had not given in to Nazi Germany in respect of iron ore etc. supply, Hitler would have invaded us. Sweden was enclosed by German forces in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Germany on the other side of the Baltic see. I suppose you then can imagine the fate of the fugitives but also of the Swedish population in general.
And Germany was certainly grateful to "neutral" Sweden for supplying all the iron it needed to built weapons against the Allies.
13
"But his driving ambition led to alcoholism..." Really NY Times? I did not know that ambition causes alcoholism.
43
Apparently in his case it did.
I fail to see why so many people are writing comments tearing apart Kamprad's obituary. It seems like a fair accounting of the man's life.
38
Reading through these comments it sure seems that the Ikea PR department is working overtime to protect the brand.
17
I am surprised and miffed by some of the criticism to this obituary. Personally, I felt that this was standard NYTimes obituary. It's a survey of a notable public figure's life and accomplishments, warts and all. Most men and women, including the important ones, are very flawed, complex, and contradictory individuals. Mr. Kamprad was all of that.
The NYTimes obituary is not (and shouldn't be) a hagiography, a eulogy given by loved ones, nor an obituary paid for and submitted by family. And it shouldn't gloss over the unsightly parts of the deceased's life. Some may argue that bringing up his youthful dalliance with Fascism was a low blow and unnecessary. However, when it was revealed 20 years ago, it was a big deal to the Swedish public for the reasons stated in the obituary so I don't see why it shouldn't be mentioned, along with his alcoholism, his divorce, his Porsche, and his avoidance of paying taxes, which depending on the obit reader may be deemed scandalous, unwarranted and unnecessary detail(s). (By the way, I already knew about his past Fascism, so this wasn't news to me.) At the end of the day, he was an amazing individual who happened to be flawed.
117
I did manage to put together 4 CD cases and a large book shelf and I don't read a word of Swedish. The box always contained the correct number of screws, bolts and tools. It was a little intimidating but the illustrations were quite explicit and it was a great test of my ADD. In spite of odds against it, they are still standing. R.I.P. Ingvar. you were a cool innovator.
42
My wife and I have long been fans of IKEA: when times demanded a combination of budget-consciousness, self-assembly and elegant Nordic design, they always came through. Now that I’m in my 70s I’d like to request from IKEA marketing specialists a new product: the “Odödlighet” (eternity) line of coffins. IKEA designers will have the opportunity to think inside the box. Pine veneer, simplicity, and cheap. Before my family fastens the lid they can include the instructions and Allen wrench with me: the trappings of a 21st century domestic warrior. RIP Mr. Kamprad, you were a genius and, I happen know, very good to your staff.
54
He sounds like the kind of person David Brooks admires.
10
Our home is full of IKEA. The cheap birch plywood IKEA furniture looks good, is functional and durable. Our even cheaper chipboard IKEA also looks good but in fact is utter rubbish.
There is an analogy here. Fascism may glitter enticingly at first. It may thus appeal initially to those who know no better. After a while, most learn from bitter experience that Fascism is a lazy option that simply can't deliver the goods in the longer term.
24
I have a mental image of his family and friends gathered around the instruction book, swearing as they try to assemble his casket.
172
It's amazing that a single individual can have such an enormous impact on people's lives. It's got me wondering if in the future it will only be entrepreneurs and techies that have this type of influence on our daily activities.
On a separate note, I want to thank the author for including the information on the Ikea founder's past ties to fascism and his alcoholism. I didn't know anything about the origin of Ikea until I read this obituary and believe the summary of Kamprad's life would have been incomplete with this information.
26
Where is the factual support for the very first sentence in the obit, “ that he hid his fascist past?” It looks like the opposite happened. He publicly disavowed his prior fascist beliefs and gave an explanation. Are people not allowed to change their beliefs? Once a fascist always a fascist? If we put everyone in boxes we will destroy our humanity.
104
Please read the entire article again. This is a fairly nuanced summary of the chronology.
13
Apparently, you missed an entire paragraph:
In 1994, the Stockholm newspaper Expressen uncovered Mr. Kamprad’s name in the archives of Per Engdahl, a Swedish fascist who had recently died. They showed Mr. Kamprad had joined Mr. Engdahl’s fascist movement in 1942, and had attended meetings, raised funds and recruited members. Even after the war’s end in 1945, he remained close to the leader. In a 1950 letter to Mr. Engdahl, Mr. Kamprad said he was proud of his involvement.
19
Once a fascist, always a former fascist. Fascism is like skin color, you can't erase it or be forgiven by being a rich old demented drunk. His inspiration was money and power, and he's no better than Hitler and that gang.
5
Obituaries elsewhere are a little less gentle -- this man evidently recruited for the Nazis in Sweden during the war and remained a Nazi sympathizer into the '50s. When his past was discovered, he said he was sorry.
He didn't like Communists, until he could cut costs by manufacturing in Poland, and make money selling in Russia and China. Many of his products are now made in China.
He shifted his allegiance to avoid paying taxes.
This is not an admirable man, although he made a lot of furniture for the volk.
91
Regarding the lower cost of non-union labor in the US, compared to Scandinavian factories, an Ikea executive once suggested that we could become their "Mexico" for outsourcing production.
11
Why emphasize fascism, alcoholism, tax avoidance, and hypocrisy rather than entrepreneurship, frugality, innovation, and humanity? The man had faults, as do we all, but he led a noteworthy life and contributed to the betterment of many. RIP.
71
Why pretend the ugly side of this man did not exist. He was a good business man who pretended to live cheaply-but had several luxurious homes. Fascism is those days (also our days) had fatal consequences. This man was not a saint. Why not say the totality of who he was
9
As a Swede I can honestly say, that Mr Kamprad is admired for his honesty and for all the work he has done, for the common man. To just write and point out that he has made mistakes as everybody else, is downright wrong! When he did an intervju with Swedish TV4 , when he turned 90 last year, his membership in th Nazi party came up and he was crying, saying it was the biggest mistake of his life. And everbody who says he did not like communism, but now has stores and so on in Russia, China and Poland, have you ever thought about that he gave them jobs and also affordable, modern furniture that those countries have never seen and couldn't afford before......sometimes I think people should think a little before critizing people they dont know enough about, just presume they do............
8
These are the pages of the NY Times, the "paper of record" not a full page ad by Ikea management to note the passing of their founder.
11
IKEA' concept of simply styled knock-down furniture was unique and appealed to many when first introduced in the US. Interesting to learn Kamprad was so eccentric in thought and behavior. Author didn't qualify Kamprad's facist views but when compared to Nazi party members Albrecht brothers (Aldi, Trader Joe's) or Joseph Goebbels billionaire offspring the Quandt family (BMW), Kamprad seems tame.
25
Adding this fascist spin to this obit is truly idiotic. As desperate as putting Trump in front of everything you want your readers to disdain. Pathetic. There were quite a lot of people who believed that fascism was a valid political construct back in the 50s. And the only people calling Ingvar an alcoholic were/are Swedens temperance maniacs, who still insist that Swedes have to be bullied and badgered or they will drink too much. And yes, they are still in government and the chances that Swedes will be able to buy beer/wine in private stores instead of the state alcohol monopply are slim. Ingvar also, at one time, told the pandering liberal Swedish government to screw themselves when their stupidity led to overgenerous welfare programs and ever higher taxes. He knew that these welfare states--like Swedens in the 70s--were doomed and he did not like Swedish Social Democrats. And he was right.
8
Too bad for those who hold that point of view that the Allies lost the war, one supposes?
4
Kamprad himself described himself as an alcoholic. So what? It didn't hurt anyone but himself.
3
Leslie Wexler, founder of The Limited once said “Just because you don’t have money doesn’t mean you don’t have good taste”. IKEA wholeheartedly embodied that concept. Some younger people may not remember a time when it was impossible to find furnishings that were well designed and current on a smaller budget but with with retailers like IKEA, Target and The Limited that all became possible. Kamprad understood that and that is the main reason they were and still are successful.
47
As the saying goes, money can't buy you class.
7
Connran's was a wonderful British-based shopping source before Ikea broke out. My entire first home was furnished by them.
13
I realized I left out Conran’s as soon as I hit submit. I made many purchases for my first apartment at the NY Conrans
Seems to be a conflicted man. Humble beginnings, knows the value of work and thrift, but desires wealth. As he achieves the wealth, he loses the respect for himself and tries to cover this up with a vale of the simple life of austerity.
A sad story, but a human one. The majority of the happy socially responsible middle class Scandinavians don't have this problem because they care for their neighbors rather than use them.
12
Whether he planned, studied, researched, or stumbled upon it, the concept is brilliant and he provided so many of us a way to achieve a much more comfortable, stylish, and affordable way to live. Thank you Mr. Kamprad.
26
I have a lot of the older-solid wood, metal and leather-IKEA furniture and have moved it cross country innumerable times. It withstood HI climate better than any other furniture.
And I love putting it together!
2
Our house decor is Early American Toddler, aka IKEA. I have armchairs and bureaus that have survived cross Atlantic and cross country moves.
1
A through line can be drawn via Steve Jobs, Ingvar Kamprad, Jeff Bezos, and Sam Walton: all served the customers first and foremost —how can we make it simple, cheaper, accessible, enjoyable for them?
How do we take a little and give a lot, and gain in small, small spurts, not in great grabbing leaps, squeezing out as much as possible.
In giving —and looking out for the (little-ordinary) customers --and staying humble -- they received mightily.
Capitalism at its best.
13
Jobs? Cheaper?
3
RIP Mr. Kamprad.
Although I wish...
1) your business would pay the workers living wages.
2) the quality of your products would secure that they don't end up thrown away after few years of usage.
3) Ikea wouldn't abuse the tax loopholes. It is disgraceful that your family benefits from the infrastructure of countries around the world, but you have been sneakily transferring a lion share of profits offshore to family accounts (apparently it is all legal)
Editor’s note: This comment has been anonymized in accordance with applicable law(s).
42
1. It is not the employers responsibility that the grown up workers *voluntarily* sign employment agreement that doesn't pay enough. Furthermore, why should the employer care if their employees expense level is too high (= Have children they can't afford. Stop doing that, it is stupid on so many levels.) compared to their salary
3. Taxation is theft, so how can it be abuse to avoid a criminal act by a criminal organisation?
4
Is the libertarian capitalist perspective necessary to offer in absolutely every case? There’s no subtlety to it, so we got it the first time; I promise.
1
Facist? I think not,but a capitalist of the first rank. Living to 91 seems to belie his drinking history.I hope his sons carry on & do good works with their fortunes.
26
Well, what would you call a member of the Nazi party during (and after WW2)?
51
He admits to alcoholism (although I have no idea why it needed mentioning) and to echo another commenter--he joined the Nazi party. Not an imprecise use of language.
Mentioning in the first sentence that Mr. Kamprad had a Fascist encounter over half a century ago is tasteless Robert FcFadden.
Instead you should have focused on what Ingvar Kamprad accomplished entrepreneur, and that companies like IKEA do not have to be public to be profitable and successful. In most cases privately held companies are successful exactly because they are not run by narrow focused profit maximizing execs.
What Ingvar Kamprad's accomplishments with IKEA ranks extremely high because he focused on running a clean business focusing on what customers want and not what the share holders would have wanted.
Show some respect when writing an obituary.
200
Likewise, when companies issue their beliefs, they call them Mission Statements, not manifestos. Times writers I don’t think can help themselves anymore. The taste of blood is a hard taste to lose.
7
The man admitted being a member of the Nazi party. Respectfully, you are wrong.
36
What, exactly, is a "fascist encounter?" Did he run into von Ribbentrop at a cocktail party? He was up to his elbows in fascists and, in his own words, was proud of it at the time. That's an important fact in one's obituary.
17
Guys, he was for sure smart man and he was researching his business target customers all his life. You are seeing him trying to live the same way as everybody else, but in fact he was researching consumption habits of his customers. IKEA has quality of more expensive furniture chains stores and at the same time its prices are as low as for low quality furniture of Walmart. If you ever purchased furniture yourself in its price range you must know about it.
Fascism i.e. national socialism is ultra left idea that is the direction American Democratic party is heading to. They just replaced "nationalism" for one one nation with nationalism for all everybody. They replaced "hate of one nation to all others" with hate of all nations to every particular nation.
So basically his views and IKEA views of global high quality living for everybody is exactly goals of socialists, they match by 100%
And he stayed as an Adept of this idea all his life with one only difference that collapse of Nazy Germany helped him to go outside of its boundaries and become global leader.
2
Sorry but you have confused National Socialism, which wikipedia defines as the ideology and set of practices associated with the 20th-century German Nazi Party in Nazi Germany and of other far-right groups, with Democratic Socialism (aka Socialism). Democratic Socialism is defined by wikipedia as a political ideology that advocates political democracy alongside social ownership of the means of production with an emphasis on self-management or democratic management of economic institutions within a market.
14
National Socialism is not far left but far right. There is nothing socialist about it except the name. Names are adjectives that color your impression of things and people. Quoting Shakespeare, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." And the stain of fascism is hard to remove. Oddly, there is a story that Kamprad had a Jewish friend at the same time as he supported to fascists. Maybe he redeemed himself in some ways. But he was a cagey old businessman who knew how to make and shelter his money and image.
9
Except that national socialism is both anti-capitalist and anti-liberal (in the European sense of the word). Oops. You didn't know that? Hitler hated America because it was capitalistic and he was obviously very much against a free (liberal) society.
Interestingly enough, the youth wing of the Swedish reformed communist party criticised Kamprad for his past nazi-connection today - but they forgot that, during WW2, their mother party supported the Molotov-Ribbentrop-agreement = they supported BOTH Hitler and Stalin. Oops again. (Later on they also supported Russia in their wars against Finland.)
National socialism and communism are siblings. The only difference is that nazis killed jews while communist killed kulaks and intellectuals (and jews).
I have happy memories of visiting Ikea outside toronto in 1984-85 as a kid... Those old stores still had the ball room for kids, and -- hard as it is to imagine -- an honor system cafeteria... something that shocked even my 7 year old self. You could buy a muffin for a dollar, and just leave your dollar in the bin.
27
What a mean spirited obituary! If you have nothing nice to say, better say nothing at all - especially about somebody who just passed away. The man built a world class company that enabled millions of people to acquire practical and stylish furniture at affordable prices. Isn't this something to be admired?
His involvement with fascism (about which I didn't know before) was a great mistake which he sincerely regretted and profusely apologized for. The way you wrote about his alcoholism and tax avoidance strategies made it sound as if he was the only person guilty of this, when in fact many major business figures (and political ones to some degree) share the same trait.
Once again, what a disappointing obituary! At the time when you could have shown some class and dignity, you opted for class warfare.
158
Obituaries are the story of a person's life, not a whitewash to satisfy what appears to be a bunch of Ikea employees checking in with critical comments about the obit.
Would you write an obit of Nixon and not mention Watergate?
I'm sorry your hero didn't live an exemplary life. Few people do. On balance, I came away from reading this with the impression that Mr. Kamprad was a clever businessman who amassed a fortune, did nothing illegal and had some minor to medium skeletons in his closet. What's so bad?
72
Class warfare. Racial and sexist Identity politics. This is about all the lazy, liberal lying media can come up with these days. This guy could run a business, made a pot of money and still stuck to his beliefs. Sweden could use a lot more people like him in government. The current one is full of pandering, lazy sycophants, who know only how to hand out money to illegal migrants, and their political class of parasites. This is why Ingvar left Sweden, though it is not mentioned here. He saw through the Social Democrats swindle and hated them.
3
Actually, one might say the obit whitewashed his membership in the NAZI party not just during WW2, but his joining it AFTER the war. But you can excuse that if it seems a bit harsh to you.
13
Thank you Mr. Kamprad for providing affordable furniture to the masses. Furniture is horrendously expensive from other retailers and the ability to furnish one's apartment for a fraction of the cost was always a big help when I was a young and financially struggling fledgling New Yorker.
The MALM bed frame and chest of drawers will never go out of style!
44
The Malm Chest of Drawers has caused 91 injuries and 8 deaths from tip offs. If you still have them, I suggest you have IKEA come and pick them up.
5
Or attach them to the wall, as the hardware is included and instructions too.
15
In defense of the Malm chest, it needs to anchored to the wall to be stable enough to not tip over when abused by children who use the open drawers as steps.
Regardless of who makes the tall chests or drawers, or bookcases, even those hand built by cabinet makers will have the same issue when abused. All tall floor standing cabinets that are not very deep need to be anchored.
I would expect that none, when properly installed have caused any injuries or deaths.
6
I am surprised that Kamprad lived as long as he did, given his alcoholism. I am also surprised that he was thin, which runs counter to the everyman image he sought to cultivate. I am curious to know what his diet was like. Perhaps 15 years ago I visited an IKEA store in Minnesota. The store had its own cafeteria. As a vegan, I was very disappointed in the food choices available, which were heavily laden with meat and dairy products. These kinds of foods are not conducive to a long life, or to being thin. They also contribute to a lot of waste when examined from an environmental perspective. I hope that IKEA cafeterias are moving toward healthier plant-centered fare, if only to reduce waste and prolong the lives of customers and employees.
3
Traditional Swedish food includes a lot of dairy products, as well as some meat and fish with many meals. Compared to many countries, the population is quite fit. Mr. Kamprad is not unusual. Limit portion size and live an active lifestyle and you will be fine.
5
They offer veggie balls that are vegan and they are very tasty. The sauce and sides change with the season. I try to schedule my IKEA visits so we can have these for lunch.
5
When a I was spending considerable time in Stockholm, and mostly eating in restaurants I used to joke - with Swedes whom I knew well - that the national dish of Sweden was cream. They'd laugh and concede the point. But also the average Swede was mostly eating at home.
CSchiotz is right about the fitness thing. Maybe it is because the people of Sweden have a better work life balance and better social safety net than we do in the States.
2
If I remove everything I bought from IKEA, either in boxes, or as "as is," I would have a futon from my college days, and nothing else. Even my car purchase decision (a wagon) was influenced by "would work well for hauling IKEA stuff." Hence, I will say a silent prayer for Mr. Kamprad. While some may have hunted and fished, or watched sports, I spent endless hours imagining what I could carpenter and jig together from the near-free stuff in the "as is" to produce something cool. Enjoy Valhalla Ingvar.
Kalidan
80
Hah, you're so right about the car choice! I go by the same standard. Being able to drive a new Ikea sofa home myself equals true independence:)
2
IKEA is certainly an interesting retail concept and many people are still very fond of the company's products. I, however, am not one of them. Their design grates with me, they have no character and those who prefer IKEA to chintz, as far as I am concerned, simply have no taste - no matter how much they might claim the opposite, they're wrong! And as for value for money, IKEA's prices seem to be very similar to those in stores where the furniture is already built and assembled for you, so all you're getting from IKEA is expensive hassle!
Still, as I said, many people like IKEA and their products, and they're entitled to their point of view just as much as I am entitled to mine. And at the end of the day, it was a successful business model that other budding entrepreneurs would be well advised to study.
5
Learning from TOH and affordable Ikea products make dream kitchens available to the masses. Thank you both Bob Vila, Norm Abrams, and Ikea's founder, Mr. Kamprad, for showing how to create wonderful homes on a DIY budget. After the great recession, I can no longer afford the skilled trades at $75-$125 an hour, nor the $30k-$50k kitchen renovations. Amazing too that the current Sektion cabinets are made in the USA.
Wish Ikea was in the USA when I went to college, lol. Nowadays, are there dorm or student apartments not furnished by Ikea?
Despite the tightly managed store operations, the employees in most Ikea stores seem enthusiatic about working there.
22
David, the quality of craftsmanship proffered This Old House compared to that of most Ikea furniture products is not even comparable. On TOH they made the furniture pieces from scratch; measuring; cutting; assembling; etc. using time-honored carpentry skills. At Ikea they mass produce objects the owner assembles with new fangled and heavy handed joinery techniques that leave one with an object meant to barely get the job of being a shelf or bed frame done.
Timing is everything. The Nixon Recession followed by Reagan’s 18% interest madness laid the ground for ideas like IKEA. The BOX Store and the the Mall Insanity.
We turned our culture into Chains, Franchises, and invented Mall Rats. Our cities became downtrodden, decayed and places of desperation. We put roofs on our Ball Parks. Built 6-7 story Parking Hotels. Radio homogenized, TV took over the news and we forgot how to design buildings, cars and fashion.
19
I worked for IKEA Denmark as a management apprentice back in the '70s and it is probably the most memorable and fun job I ever had with great colleagues. I met Ingvar Kamprad on several occasions - he was a very gentle and soft spoken man as I remember him. Thank you for all you did, Mr. Kamprad, you have made this world a spiffier place.
172
An astonishing man. An astonishing life. What will to take that insight and vision and drive it towards a global reality.
11
you can say that about every successful person. What is your point?
1
One might say the same about Stalin, Hiller or Trump.
9
I have shopped at IKEA knowing that the furniture would look good but not last long; smaller items can be quite good deals - in that sense, Mr. Kamprad achieved his business philosophy.
But it is a travesty that such an immensely wealthy man should take every measure to avoid paying taxes (like so many wealthy people in our country) , taxes which the rest of us, his frugal customers, pay, at a higher rate of our much, much smaller income than he does. Then there is his fascist history.
88
I get the feeling I wouldn't want to know him.
7
Why do you even care about someone avoiding paying unnecessary taxes when taxation is theft?
2
If property is theft [Property is theft! (French: La propriété, c'est le vol!) is a slogan coined by French anarchist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in his 1840 book What is Property? Or, an Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government.], is taxation double theft?
Ah, such a loss and opportunity at IKEA in the same moment. I can see the new product line for caskets. The instructions should read something like "Turn the cam slightly left to right until it locks..."
46
Very often I read the obituaries in the NYTimes and think that what I read was the best reading of the day. Often I think what a wonderful person has died, a person who lived a good life who gave so much to all of our lives. After reading this I did not have a good feeling at all.
97
A self-made man who created an empire and throughout all of it attempted to remain humble and down to Earth? Seems like a great success story to me. Sure, everyone has their problems and Ikea has some sketchy business practices, but Mr. Kamprad seemed to strive to live a good life. People in these comment sections have a tendency to be overly dramatic and easily offended.
29
@Taylor Gabriel, That's an understatement, in regards to the easily offended commenters.
4
The country that gave the world ABBA, Volvo, Bjorn Borg, Nobel prizes for accomplishments in multiple disciplines also gave assemble yourself IKEA products. I still have IKEA furniture I bought in Maryland when I worked at the NIH in Bethesda, MD and had to be thrift and diligent like Ingvar Kamprad. Some of the furniture came apart because it was incorrectly nailed while being assembled by me. Rest in peace IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprade in a well nailed coffin with pride and satisfaction that you made a difference around the world in where people sit, work, sleep, relax around the world on products made by IKEA at a competitive price.
96
I think Mr. Kamprad provided a fantastic solution for millions of people who want stylish, less expensive furniture. I have several pieces of Ikea furniture and I love them. Part of the fun for me, was assembling them and following, or attempting to follow the instructions. His furniture provides a comfort and ease of use for those of us who are furniture-challenged, for young people just starting out, or for students needing to furnish a dorm room.
That he remained a level-headed man who still bought his clothing at flea markets and drove a 15 year old car, makes me like and respect him even more. Mr. Kamprad, you created something quite special. You are to be commended. I hope they provide you with a comfy Ikea bed in Heaven.
106
IKEA in Burbank was a failure.
4
don't understand this. Burbank store remains open.
8
Sorry, they weren't a failure. They simply outgrew the building. They built a spectacular new building, still in Burbank. Please, assume nothing, and get your facts straight. The truth is always the truth.
17