Ingvar Kamprad

Ingvar Kamprad (Ingvar Kamprad) (1926 [Pyatteryud])

Owner of chain stores IKEA Swede Ingvar Kamprad became the richest man in the world. To such conclusion experts of the Swedish business weekly Veckans Affarer. In the list of "most affluent people in the world" Kamprad ahead "by reducing the dollar" owner "Microsoft" Bill Gates: 400 billion kronor, . belonging to the owner of IKEA, . been transformed into $ 53 billion - 6 billion more, . than the state of American,
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About Kamprad is sometimes said that his life "is similar to the fate of characters from fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm". Swedish billionaire has never studied at university (school teachers for a long time could not teach him to read), but "a business strategy that he applied to IKEA, they study in many universities in Europe". Kamprad's biographers believe that passion was transmitted to trade Ingvar inheritance. But in 1897 the firm, whose grandfather owned the future billionaire, was on the verge of bankruptcy. The head of the family could not pay the mortgage and committed suicide. But grandmother Ingvar managed to save it. So she taught the grandson of "strength of will and effort" to overcome the circumstances.

The first trade transaction young Kamprad made in school: he purchased in bulk pencils and matches, which are then resold several times more expensive than classmates. And his first customer was the grandmother: when she died in her things found dozens of pencils, erasers, tochilok and matchboxes are purchased from Ingvar.

. In 15 years, the future billionaire, opened the first company, traded on various small change directories
. Two years later appeared at IKEA. Her name Ingvar encrypted the capitalization of his name, last name, the farm where he was born, and villages, where increased. The first time the new company was engaged in postal dispatch of goods. Then Kamprad bought the old factory, where he began to produce cheap furniture. But that trade policy has led to the boycott, which in the late 50-ies announced Kamprad Sweden's national association of sellers of furniture, the perturbed low prices on products IKEA.

. As a result, future billionaire, took the unusual at the time for the Swedish business step: become part of the components needed to build furniture, "on the cheap" from Polish suppliers
. So "Dad Ingvar", as it is sometimes called the IKEA employees, first realized the company's future strategy - to place orders for goods in those countries where it is cheaper. "Each crown - a crown," - often repeats his subordinates billionaire.

On his phenomenal avarice and the ability to save legendary. In mission Kamprad lives in a three-star hotels, . for breakfast (especially when he enters the room price) cram "to spoil", . that there was enough until the end of the day, . And if you still have to pay for meals out of pocket, . billionaire walks in cheap restaurants, and even allegedly buys hamburgers,
. Visiting during trips different countries, he rarely drives a taxi, preferring public transport, where, as a friend explains, "you can find the tastes of the people."

. If traveling by train Kamprad bought tickets only to the second class, he has baggage, gets on sales cheap clothes, and the best vacation considers "Riding a bike in Sweden"
. "How can I claim thrift from people who work for me, if I spend time in luxury and comfort," - he explains.

Ability to appreciate the money Kamprad instilled sons. The youngest of them, Mathias, recalls how, as a student, stump on vacation in the forest manor of parents. And his father paid him for work less than salaried workers. After training on general Mathias went to work for one of the shopping centers IKEA. "My initial salary was so small that sometimes my wife had to" elbows "- rescued only cheap lunch in the cafe at IKEA," - with a smile, "he recalls.

. But several "dark spots" in the biography of billionaire journalists still found
. It turned out that in his youth - under the influence of grandmothers - Kamprad was sympathetic to the Nazis (businessman apologized for this mistake "hobby" in 1994). Among the other "weaknesses" - periodic binges, which allegedly suffers 76-year-old owner of the IKEA. But these "flaws" do not interfere with Kamprad, who a few years ago, formally withdrew, handing over the company his sons, to control their trading empire, consisting of 180 shops in over 30 countries around the world. Kamprad proud when it is compared to Henry Ford: he believes that, like Ford, "has made available for the majority of goods that had previously belonged to a luxury.

. However, the question - who is richer, Gates and Kamprad, is still open
. Forbes magazine, which annually ranks the world's richest people, according to the findings of Swedish experts on Kamprad "premature". Specialists of "Forbes" estimated condition Swede only 18 billion dollars (13th place in the world). Discrepancies in the determination of wealth Kamprad they explain the "various methods of calculation.