By Robert D.McFadden

Ingvar Kamprad， who has died aged 91， is not a household name， but the company that made him a billionaire most certainly is. Ikea， the Swedish flat-pack furniture group with 412 stores in 49 countries， bears the name that Kamprad registered in 1943， when， aged 17， he needed to set up a company in order to buy a job-lot1 of pencils. It stands for Ingvar Kamprad and Elmtaryd， Agunnaryd， after the farm and village in the southern Swedish region of Sm？land where he grew up.

Nearly 75 years on， sales of self-assembly pieces such as a bookshelf called Billy and basics such as the sofa called Klippan， are thought to have amassed him a fortune of $54bn. In 2006， he was placed fourth in Forbes annual list of the worlds wealthiest billionaires. His affairs are complicated， however， involving a family foundation based in Liechtenstein， and he claimed his personal wealth to be far less.

Growing from a small local furniture business in the 1940s to the global brand it is today， Ikea has done more to change the look of homes in many parts of the world than any other retailer. While some believe that its cheap-enough-to-be-disposable goods are an unnecessary evil in a society that should be building sustainability into consumer products， for others Ikea represents the fulfilment of the modernist dream that preached the message of calm， clean， affordable design for all.

With the exception of perhaps McDonalds， Ikea has uniquely transcended barriers of class， culture and geography in the late 20th and early 21st century， flying in the face of2 received retail wisdom by selling the same products with unpronounceable Swedish names all around the world. The catalogue once had a print run of 150m copies， and some statistics claimed that more than 10% of the population of Europe had been conceived3 in an Ikea bed. In 2016， the company celebrated its own achievements by opening an Ikea museum in ？lmhult， on the site of the first store， opened in 1958.

Kamprads journey to world furniture domination was punctuated by problems. He liked to say， self-deprecatingly， that “no one has had as many fiascos as I have”.4 These included boycotts， accusations of nazism， tax avoidance and plagiarism5， and alcoholism. Yet those who worked closely with him have suggested he found it painful if things seemed to be going too well—that the struggle and the solution were part of the same continuum6. You can perhaps take the farmers son out of Sm？land， but in Kamprads case you cant take Sm？land—a harsh， agricultural and punishing region—out of the boy.

Born to Feodor Kamprad， a German immigrant， and Berta （nee7 Nilsson）， on the farm， Elmtaryd， Ingvar kicked off his first business venture—selling matches， bought in bulk in Stockholm， to the villagers—at the age of five. By the time he was 11， he was making enough money from selling seeds to buy himself a racing bike and a typewriter. Cycling remained a passion and， well into old age， the famously thrifty8 billionaire enjoyed nothing more than a Swedish cycling holiday with his friend Erling Persson， the founder of Hennes & Mauritz（H&M;）.

In 1943， the first incarnation of Ikea appeared， a mail-order business selling pencils， postcards， and other merchandise.9 Many farmers in Sm？land made furniture as a sideline， and Kamprad soon added these products to his stock. By 1951 he had made his first million krona10.

Sweden was undergoing dramatic and rapid modernisation. During the 1950s， 50，000 farms closed， and between 1946 and 1966 1m flats were built to house those leaving the land. In 1952， the first flat-pack item， a table called Max， was produced to service those moves. The idea was that if the customer did some of the work， the customer paid less of the price. In 1971， when Ikeas flagship store at Kungens Kurva in Stockholm reopened after being gutted11 by fire， self-service was introduced. The idea remains strong in Ikeas culture that the customers blood， sweat and tears is repaid in savings—something of a Lutheran12 consumer model.

Kamprads tendency to undercut13 his rivals did not go down so well. In the 50s and 60s producers and retailers boycotted the company under pressure from the National Association of Furniture Dealers， and he was banned from furniture fairs. Eventually he took his production to Poland （and later all over the world）， where costs were low， and it was there， where most minutes of the day were washed down with vodka， that his problem with alcohol began. Kamprad dealt with his excessive drinking by drying out14 for three weeks at a time once a year. In 2014 he claimed his drinking was under control.

Accusations of plagiarism dogged the company throughout Kamprads directorship， which finished in 1986， after the company switched to a franchising model， and beyond.15 Then in 1994， he was faced with charges in the press about his Nazi past. He sent a handwritten fax to all his staff headed “Could not stop the tears”， and recounting his shame. He denied any direct memories of being a fully paid-up Nazi party member， though it has been said Nazi sympathies were encouraged by his German grandmother， Franziska. But he could never escape from the reality that he had been very close to Per Engdahl， the Swedish fascist leader， for many years. In 2001 the company expanded into Israel without the subject being raised.

Kamprads politics pervade the entire culture of Ikea， which is a sort of moral humanism sold through furniture. In 2011， he set up the Kamprad Family Foundation， whose mission is “to support， stimulate and reward education and scientific research in a way that supports entrepreneurship， the environment， competence， health and social progress”.

In 1973， in order， he said， to avoid “tax consequences”， Kamprad took his family off to Denmark， and then four years later to Switzerland. He returned to Sweden in 2014， three years after his second wife Margarethas death. In December 2017， the EU launched an investigation into the tax affairs of Ikea after claims that the firm had saved around 1bn in tax through its complex corporate structure.

In 2000， he had， in the manner of the best fairy stories， given each of his three sons from his second marriage， Peter， Jonas and Matthias， a piece of his empire to run. In 2013 he stepped down as chairman of the board and handed over to Matthias.

Kamprads modesty was legendary， driving only a？koda and a 1993 Volvo， and trawling16 flea markets for clothes. “He was so unassuming17， youd never guess at his wealth，” said an acquaintance who visited him at home in Switzerland. “The whole family， they are just not interested. There are no fancy cars or watches even. The company is the passion. And yes， he was a friendly person.”

Perhaps in another life Kamprad would have made a good preacher. There was something evangelical18 about his zeal， and religious about his method. In 1976， he wrote “A Furniture Dealers Testament”， published as an appendix to Bertil Torekulls Leading by Design： The Ikea Story， in 1999. It was filled with homilies19 such as “No method is more effective than the good example”， and headings such as “the Ikea spirit is a strong and living reality”. Another favourite line was that： “Only those who are asleep make no mistake.” At least Kamprad can now rest assured that his days of causing fiascos are over.

享年91歲的英格瓦·坎普拉德并不算是家喻戶曉，但讓他成為億萬富翁的公司絕對是。作為一家來自瑞典的平板包裝家具集團，宜家在49個國家擁有412家分店?？财绽掠?943年注冊了宜家這個名字，時年17歲的他需要成立一家公司以便購入一批鉛筆。宜家（IKEA）代表Ingvar Kamprad和Elmtaryd， Agunnaryd，后者指的是瑞典南部地區(qū)斯莫蘭的農(nóng)場和村莊，他在那里長大。

近75年來，通過銷售如名為畢利（Billy）的書架等自行組裝的產(chǎn)品和名為克利帕（Klippan）的沙發(fā)等基本款家具，他積累了540億美元的財富。2006年，他在福布斯年度全球富豪榜中名列第四。然而，他的情況很復(fù)雜，因為涉及列支敦士登的一個家族基金會，他宣稱自己的個人財富要少得多。

從上世紀(jì)40年代的一家本土小型家具企業(yè)成長為今天的全球品牌，宜家比其他零售商作出了更多的努力來改變世界各地住宅的面貌。雖然有些人認為其價格低廉從而可以用完就扔的商品在一個應(yīng)該將可持續(xù)發(fā)展融入消費品的社會中是一種不必要的罪惡，但對于其他人而言，宜家代表了現(xiàn)代主義夢想的實現(xiàn)，這一夢想宣揚為所有人提供平靜、清潔、實惠的設(shè)計。

除了麥當(dāng)勞以外，大概只有宜家在20世紀(jì)末和21世紀(jì)初跨越了階級、文化和地理的重重障礙，通過在世界各地銷售相同的有著難以發(fā)音的瑞典名的產(chǎn)品，將廣為接受的零售智慧完全顛覆。宜家產(chǎn)品目錄曾一度達到一億五千萬冊的印量，而且有統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)表明，有超過10%的歐洲人口是在宜家的床上被懷上的。2016年，為了贊頌自身的成就，公司在1958年開放的位于瑞典艾爾姆胡爾特的第一家門店原址上開設(shè)了宜家博物館。

坎普拉德在通往世界家具領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者的征途上麻煩不斷。他喜歡自嘲說，“沒有人比我遭受過更多的打擊”。這些打擊包括被抵制、被指控納粹主義、避稅、剽竊以及酗酒。然而，那些曾與他密切合作的人表示，如果事情似乎進展得過于順利，他反而會感到痛苦——必須先奮力拼搏才能最終解決問題。你也許可以把這位農(nóng)民的兒子從斯莫蘭帶走，但就坎普拉德而言，你無法把斯莫蘭——一個環(huán)境嚴(yán)苛、處境艱難的農(nóng)業(yè)地區(qū)——從這個男孩里帶走。

父親為德國移民費多爾·坎普拉德，母親為貝爾塔（婚前原姓尼爾森），英格瓦出生于埃爾姆塔爾德的農(nóng)場。五歲時他便做起了第一筆生意：從斯德哥爾摩大量批發(fā)火柴賣給村民。11歲時，他通過賣種子賺到了給自己買競速自行車和打字機的錢。騎自行車一直是他的熱情所在，到年邁之時依然如此，這位以節(jié)儉出名的億萬富翁最享受的事情莫過于與他的朋友——海恩斯莫里斯（H&M;）的創(chuàng)始人埃爾林·佩爾森——一起享受瑞典的自行車度假。

1943年，宜家的雛形出現(xiàn)了，那是一家通過郵購出售鉛筆、明信片和其他商品的企業(yè)。斯莫蘭有許多農(nóng)民把制作家具當(dāng)成副業(yè)，而坎普拉德很快就把這些家具產(chǎn)品添加到他的商品存貨中。1951年，他賺到了他人生的第一個百萬克朗。

瑞典當(dāng)時正經(jīng)歷著劇烈而迅速的現(xiàn)代化。上世紀(jì)50年代，五萬間農(nóng)場被關(guān)閉，而1946年至1966年間，一百萬所公寓拔地而起，供離開田地的那些人居住。1952年，宜家生產(chǎn)了第一個平板包裝產(chǎn)品——一種名為麥克斯（Max）的桌子——來服務(wù)這些移居城市的農(nóng)民。當(dāng)時的想法就是，如果客戶自己也出些力，那么他們就能少付些錢。1971年，當(dāng)位于斯德哥爾摩克宮根斯科爾瓦的旗艦店遭受火災(zāi)后重新營業(yè)時，宜家引入了自助服務(wù)。在宜家的文化中，這個想法經(jīng)久不衰：顧客的鮮血、汗水和眼淚以省錢的形式得到償還，這就像是某種路德宗的消費模式。

坎普拉德的價格戰(zhàn)打得并不順利。上世紀(jì)五六十年代，生產(chǎn)商和零售商在全國家具經(jīng)銷商協(xié)會的壓力下抵制宜家，而且坎普拉德被禁止參加家具展覽會。最終，他轉(zhuǎn)移陣地到波蘭（后來到世界各地）生產(chǎn)產(chǎn)品。波蘭的成本很低，也正是在那里，他出現(xiàn)了酗酒問題：一天當(dāng)中大部分時間他都在喝伏特加?？财绽峦ㄟ^每年一次戒酒三周來應(yīng)對他的過度飲酒問題。2014年他宣稱他的酗酒問題已經(jīng)得到控制。

剽竊的指責(zé)一直如影隨形，貫穿坎普拉德領(lǐng)導(dǎo)宜家的整個時期。在宜家轉(zhuǎn)為特許經(jīng)營模式之后，他于1986年起不再擔(dān)任領(lǐng)導(dǎo)職務(wù)。1994年，媒體指控他有著納粹的過去。他向所有的工作人員發(fā)送了一封題為“淚流不止”的手寫傳真，講述他的恥辱。他否認自己是正式的納粹黨員，盡管據(jù)說他對納粹的親善傾向是因為他的德國祖母弗蘭齊斯卡的鼓勵。但他永遠無法擺脫這樣一個事實：他與瑞典法西斯領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人皮爾·恩達爾多年來一直關(guān)系密切。2001年，宜家的生意擴展到以色列，但沒有人提起這個話題。

坎普拉德的政治態(tài)度滲透了整個宜家文化。宜家文化是某種通過家具推廣的道德人文主義。2011年，他成立了坎普拉德家族基金會，其宗旨是“支持、鼓舞和獎勵教育與科學(xué)研究，從而支持創(chuàng)業(yè)、環(huán)境、能力、健康和社會進步”。

1973年，他表示，為了避免“稅收方面的后果”，坎普拉德舉家移居丹麥，四年后又移居瑞士。2014年，在他第二任妻子瑪格麗莎去世三年后，坎普拉德回到了瑞典。2017年12月，歐盟針對宜家的稅務(wù)問題展開了調(diào)查，因為之前有人宣稱宜家通過其復(fù)雜的公司架構(gòu)少繳了約10億歐元的稅費。

2000年，如同最美好的童話故事一般，他給他第二次婚姻生下的三個兒子—— 彼得、喬納斯和馬蒂亞斯—— 一人分了一塊他的商業(yè)帝國去運營。2013年，他辭去董事會主席的職務(wù)并由馬蒂亞斯接任。

坎普拉德是出了名地謙遜低調(diào)。他開的車只有一輛斯柯達和一輛1993年的沃爾沃；他穿的衣服都是在跳蚤市場淘來的?！八驼{(diào)了，你絕對猜不到他多么富有，”一位曾前往他位于瑞士的家中拜訪過他的熟人說道?！罢麄€家庭，他們對炫富不感興趣。他們甚至沒有奢華的汽車或手表。公司才是激情所在。而且是的，他是個非常友善的人?！?/p>

也許在另一個人生里，坎普拉德會成為一名優(yōu)秀的傳道者。他的熱忱如布道般狂熱；他的方法有著宗教的成分。1976年，他寫了《一個家具商的信仰》，作為附錄發(fā)表在1999年伯迪·托爾卡所著的《以設(shè)計領(lǐng)先：宜家的故事》里。文章中充滿了諸如“沒有比好的榜樣更有效的方法”之類的訓(xùn)誡，以及如“宜家精神是一個強大且活生生的現(xiàn)實”之類的標(biāo)題。另一句他最喜歡的話就是：“只有睡著的人才不會犯錯?！敝辽佻F(xiàn)在坎普拉德可以放心，他不會再鑄下大錯了。

1. job-lot： 論堆的廉價雜品。

2. fly in the face of： 悍然不顧，公然違抗。

3. conceive： 懷孕。

4. deprecatingly： 不贊同地，批評地；fiasco：慘敗。

5. plagiarism： 抄襲，剽竊。

6. continuum：（不可分割的）統(tǒng)一體，連續(xù)體。

7. nee： 娘家姓……的（用在已婚女子的姓后）。

8. thrifty： 節(jié)儉的。

9. incarnation： 化身，體現(xiàn)；merchandise：

商品，貨物。

10. Krona： 克朗（瑞典、丹麥、挪威等國的貨幣單位）。

11. gut： v. 從內(nèi)部毀壞。

12. Lutheran： 路德宗的。路德宗（Lutheranism）是以馬丁·路德的宗教思想為依據(jù)的各教會團體之統(tǒng)稱，其教義核心為“因信稱義”（人只有具備了純正信仰才能成為真正的基督徒），它是德意志宗教改革運動的產(chǎn)物，由馬丁·路德于1529年創(chuàng)立于德國，其建立標(biāo)志著基督新教的誕生。

13. undercut： 以低于對手的價格競爭。

14. dry out： 戒酒。

15. dog： v. 困擾，跟蹤；franchise： 特許經(jīng)營；and beyond： 及其之后。

16. trawl： 搜羅。

17. unassuming： 不裝腔作勢的，不招搖的。

18. evangelical： / 如福音傳教士般的，狂熱的。

19. homily： 說教，訓(xùn)誡。