Johan Stenebo was for 20 years one of the leading directors of IKEA while it turned itself into the world's largest flatpack furniture retailer with 700 million visitors a year. During these years, he was the personal assistant to Ingvar Kamprad, the billionaire founder and owner of IKEA, set up its Leeds store that broke profit records, was global director of key furniture areas, and latterly CEO of investment company IKEA Greentech. In this authoritative book, he writes frankly about Kamprad's inspirational leadership of the company built in his image from a provincial store in Sweden, as well as Kamprad's Nazi links, IKEA's low wage bill, exceptional profits, complex Stasi-like business culture with spies, and resourceful ways of using the media and companies like Greenpeace and WWF to cover environmental issues. No company director has ever written a more open book about the company's extraordinary success and failures (and he is likely the last).

About the Author

Johan Stenebo was an IKEA director for two decades and one of the closest collaborators of billionair founder, Ingvar Kamprad and his family.

Table of Contents

Foreword The rise and fall of IKEA UK Introduction Ingvar Kamprad 1 The man and the myth 2 The secret behind IKEA The company 3 The IKEA-machine 4 The Suppliers 5 'The product range - our identity' 6 The store - the stronghold of commercial forces 7 The IKEA-culture The future 8 The winds of change 9 The world's richest man? 10 A good company? 11 The Kamprad monarchy Afterword Appendix:: The testament of a furniture dealer

Reviews

'Stung.' Financial Times 'The wholesome Scandinavian image of furniture and lifestyle giant Ikea has been rudely shaken.' Independent '[A] shocking tell-all book - Johan Stenebo was the closest collaborator of IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad.' Der Spiegel online 'A long overdue expose - sensational.' Goteborgs Posten