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INGVAR KAMPRAD

Ikea founder: sons as CEO ‘not an option’

Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of Swedish furniture chain Ikea, has revealed it is unlikely that one of his sons will take over as CEO when the incumbent Anders Dahlvig leaves.

Published: 28 July 2008 16:40 CEST

Ikea founder: sons as CEO 'not an option'

Ingvar Kamprad confirmed in an interview with local newspaper Smålandsposten that there will be soon be changes made at the helm of the multinational furniture firm that has made him into one of the world’s richest men. Kamprad confirmed that current CEO Anders Dahlvig, will soon bring his nine-year term to an end.

“He has said that the job is very tough and that he can maybe carry on one or two more years,” Ingvar Kamprad said to Smålandposten.

Kamprad also expressed a belief that none of his sons Peter, Jonas nor Mathias was likely to succeed Dahlvig.

“As I see it, it is not an option. I do not think that any of them will do it. It would only happen if one of them had a radical re-think,” said Kamprad to Smålandsposten.

At a family meeting in March all three of Ingvar Kamprad’s sons ruled out taking over.

The issue of succession at the head of Ikea has been an openly debated question in the Swedish press in recent years. Ingvar Kamprad has seldom shed any light on the issue.

The Ikea founder made clear in the interview that he understands his sons’ position and told of the sacrifices that he felt he made in the role as Ikea CEO, a post he held until 1986.

“I have said to the youngsters that if I was in their shoes I wouldn’t take a CEO job. I know that it is a very tough job,” said Kamprad to Smålandsposten.

In recent weeks the media rumour mill has turned to former Tele 2 CEO Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, who sits on the board of Ikea holding company Inka.

Jarnheimer is reported by Dagens Industri to be a good friend of the Ikea founder and a former apprentice at the furniture giant to boot.

A file photo at Ikea in Aalborg, where 31 people stayed overnight during a snowstorm on December 1st 2021.

A file photo at Ikea in Aalborg, where 31 people stayed overnight during a snowstorm on December 1st 2021. Photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

Anyone who has found themselves wandering the mazy aisles of an Ikea might be able to empathise with the sense of being lost in the furniture store for a seemingly indefinite time.

Such a feeling was probably more real than usual for six customers and 25 staff members who were forced to spend the night at the furniture giant’s Aalborg branch after being snowed in.

Heavy snow in North Jutland brought traffic to a standstill and halted public transport in parts of the region on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in a snow-in at Ikea.

“This is certainly a new situation for us,” Ikea Aalborg store manager Peter Elmose told local media Nordjyske, which first reported the story.

“It’s certainly not how I thought my day would end when I drove to work this morning,” Elmose added.

The 31 people gathered in the store’s restaurant area and planned to see Christmas television and football to pass the evening, the store’s manager reported to Nordjyske.

“Our kitchen staff have made sure there is hot chocolate, risalamande, pastries, soft drinks, coffee and the odd beer for us in light of the occasion. So we’ll be able to keep warm,” he said.

“We couldn’t just send them outside and lock the door behind them at our 8pm closing time. Absolutely not. So of course they’ll be staying here,” he added.

The temporary guests were given lodging in different departments of the store in view of the Covid-19 situation, Nordjyske writes.

“For us , the most important thing was to take care of each other and that everyone feels safe,” Elmose said.

At least Ikea’s stranded customers and staff had somewhere comfortable to lay their heads.

The same can unlikely be said for around 300 passengers at the city’s airport who had to stay overnight at the terminal.

The airport was forced to stop flights from 2:30pm yesterday amid worsening weather, which also prevented buses from transferring passengers to hotels.

“We have around 300 people in the terminal right now and have been giving out blankets on the assumption they will be staying here tonight,” Aalborg Airport operations manager Kim Bermann told Nordjyske.

READ ALSO: Ikea reopens in Denmark after country’s worst retail month this century

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