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
Essential Products Essential Products Essential Products (marketed as Essential) is an American technology company and manufacturer founded on November 9, 2015 by Andy Rubin and based in Palo Alto. The company is currently developing two products, the Android smartphone Essential Phone and Essential Home, which runs Ambient OS. The company was established in Palo Alto on November 9, 2015 by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, with funding from Playground Global. In December 2016, Brian Wallace, who left his occupation as chief marketing officer for Magic Leap a month prior, was reportedly working with Rubin. Trademarks with the 'Essential' brand name were also filed