IKEA making it one of the largest users of wood in the retail sector. Most of IKEA's stores and factories were previously owned by INGKA, a holding company controlled by the Stichting INGKA Foundation, one of the 40 wealthiest foundations in the world. Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in 1943 as a mostly mail-order sales business. It began to sell furniture five years later. The first Möbel-IKÉA store was opened in Älmhult, Småland, in 1958 (Möbel means "furniture" in Swedish). The first stores outside Sweden were opened in Norway (1963) and Denmark (1969). The stores spread to other parts of Europe in
International Comfort Products Corporation North American distribution system in the industry. Independent wholesalers sell residential and light commercial products to installers in the replacement and renovation sectors and to contractors in new construction. ICP became a wholly owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation in 1999. Before this event happened, ICP was known as Inter-City Products. In October 2002, ICP became an exclusive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of Kenmore brand residential, central heating and cooling equipment for Sears, Roebuck and Company. International Comfort Products Corporation International Comfort Products Corporation (ICP) is a company that designs, manufactures and markets central air conditioning (HVAC) systems, gas and