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
Ingvar Hirdwall Ingvar Hirdwall Lars Ingvar Hirdwall (born 5 December 1934), is a Swedish actor. Hirdwall was born in Stockholm, and was educated at Gothenburg City Theatre stage school 1957-1960. Since the early 1960s he has been active as an actor in many films, TV series and on theatrical stages, mainly Stockholms stadsteater. He is well known in Sweden, often portraying obstinate or strange characters, like the eccentric neighbor in the many Swedish Martin Beck TV-movies made from 1997 on. He was also often in director Lars Molin's productions. In December 1993, Hirdwall played the leading role in the Swedish TV company