$58.7 billion did not change Ingvar Kamprad’s habits: the Ikea founder bought flea-market clothes, drove an old Volvo and even took home restaurant salt and pepper packets.
Kamprad said his thrift was deliberate and cultural, telling Swedish TV4 in 2016 he wanted to “set a good example” and describing frugality as part of Småland’s ethos.
That mindset shaped Ikea itself: Kamprad wrote in employee guidelines that wasting resources was “a mortal sin,” tying the company’s low-cost identity to his personal habits.
His legacy remains mixed—he was criticized for tax avoidance and past links to fascist groups—but Ikea has endured, operating 504 stores in 63 countries and generating about $50 billion in annual sales.