IKEA launches GRATULERA collection in celebration of its 75th anniversary

IKEA's GRATULERA collection in celebration of its 75th anniversary

Corporate NewsRetailJuly 30, 2018Last edited: August 25, 2021

IKEA has grown to a global home furnishing company from a small mail-order business

[Seoul – July 30] Global home furnishing retailer IKEA celebrates its 75th anniversary. On the 28th of July 1943, Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in the outskirts of Älmhult, a small town located in the Southern region of Sweden. What started as a small post-order business, operated by a teenager on a bike, has certainly grown over the past 75 years.

In particular, under the belief that quality products combined with excellent design should be offered to the many people based on the philosophy of “Democratic Design,” IKEA focuses on finding the right balance of the five elements—form, function, quality, sustainability and a low price—in the design process. It isn’t mainly limited to providing home furnishing products and solutions, but is IKEA’s commitment to create a better everyday life for the many people.

In celebration of its 75th anniversary, IKEA will launch the GRATULERA limited edition collection to remember the past and share the future with more and more people.

The collection will bring back some of the most popular products from three different time periods: 50-60’s, 70-80’s and 90-00’s. From dark woods with a classic expression to a very playful style with strong colours, and then to a more minimalist design with a natural look with Scandinavian woods and graphic colours, it signifies its time period well. In addition, when developing this range, all products were updated to today’s requirements and production methods for safety reasons.

Nicolas Johnsson, IKEA Korea Marketing Manager, said, “Honoring its 75th anniversary, it’s a great pleasure to release products with heritage and historical significance to Korean consumers through the collection” adding that “IKEA will make continued efforts to create everyday life at home better for the many people.”

Meanwhile, the collection, which is set to be released consecutively from August to November, is available at IKEA Gwangmyeong and Goyang. All the products of this collection can also be found on the IKEA Korea website (www.ikea.kr).

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.
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.
2018 (28/7): 419 stores in 49 countries and close to 200 000 IKEA co-workers.