SWEDEN - On the 28th of July 1943 Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in the outskirts of Älmhult. The 75 year young brand is now celebrating, together with its customers and co-workers, 75 years of innovation and entrepreneurship and the future to come.

What started as a small post order business, operated by a teenager on a bike, has certainly grown over the past 75 years. Today the IKEA brand is represented on 49 markets and close to a billion people visit the IKEA stores annually, with more than 2.5 billion visitors online. The 195.000 IKEA co-workers contribute to bring affordable furniture design to people all over the world.

The success of IKEA would never have been possible without its customers. As gratitude, starting in August, some of the most loved and appreciated IKEA products from the past will be re-introduced in a collection called GRATULERA.

Some milestones along the IKEA journey:

1943: Ingvar Kamprad registers his company, IKEA. The I stands for Ingvar, K for Kamprad, E for Elmtaryd (the name of the family farm) and A for Agunnaryd (the name of the parish).

1948: Stylish, modern furniture is introduced into the IKEA product range.

1951: The first IKEA catalogue is distributed free of charge - just like today.

1956: Self-assembly furniture is now a part of the IKEA Concept. Flat packages mean reduced transport and damage costs. And that means lower prices for IKEA customers.

1958: The first IKEA store opens in Älmhult, Sweden.

1960: IKEA Älmhult introduces the first IKEA Restaurant & Café. As a result, visitors stay in the store longer.

1963: The first IKEA store outside Sweden opens, in Norway.

1973: The first IKEA store outside Scandinavia opens in Spreitenbach, Switzerland.

Today: 419 stores in 49 countries and close to 200,000 IKEA co-workers.