WEBVTT

1
00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:16.400
This boy will become one of the great
business leaders of the 20th century.

2
00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.920
At 17 years old,
as a world war rages,

3
00:00:23.080 --> 00:00:29.040
he starts what will change and influence
millions of homes around the world.

4
00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:36.080
Because the war will end.
Better times will follow.

5
00:00:36.720 --> 00:00:42.520
And Ingvar Kamprad and his company
will be sure to keep up with the times.

6
00:00:45.800 --> 00:00:49.360
When Ingvar Kamprad is born in 1926,

7
00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:52.920
Sweden's population
has decreased dramatically

8
00:00:53.080 --> 00:00:56.920
following decades
of emigration to America.

9
00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:05.600
Although Ingvar's family lives
in Småland, the hardest-hit province,

10
00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:08.160
they are fortunate.

11
00:01:13.440 --> 00:01:17.120
He is allowed to play
while other children work.

12
00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:22.800
And in his play, he copies his
grandfather, the village shopkeeper.

13
00:01:22.960 --> 00:01:26.480
This will influence Ingvar profoundly.

14
00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:36.360
On 28 July 1943,

15
00:01:36.520 --> 00:01:41.320
the play becomes real
and he founds IKEA.

16
00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:44.760
The name is made up of his initials,

17
00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:48.120
E for the farm where he lived, Elmtaryd,

18
00:01:48.280 --> 00:01:52.160
and A for Agunnaryd, the local parish.

19
00:01:52.320 --> 00:01:54.760
PEACE
GERMANY CAPITULATES

20
00:01:55.480 --> 00:02:02.360
After years of darkness, 1945
brings a light at the end of the tunnel.

21
00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:09.440
The war is over, and Sweden
is one of the few countries in Europe

22
00:02:09.600 --> 00:02:12.880
to come through the ordeal unharmed.

23
00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:15.720
This gives the country a head start,

24
00:02:15.880 --> 00:02:21.200
and in just a few years it will become
one of the richest in the world.

25
00:02:31.480 --> 00:02:35.240
This optimism rubs off
on Ingvar Kamprad.

26
00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:38.680
From having sold
a wide range of products,

27
00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:43.800
in 1948 IKEA starts selling furniture
by mail order

28
00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:47.400
and takes on its first employee.

29
00:02:51.200 --> 00:02:57.880
A new era is dawning
and IKEA has some innovative ideas.

30
00:02:58.040 --> 00:03:04.120
Bypassing all the middlemen
in order to keep prices down.

31
00:03:04.880 --> 00:03:08.800
This will benefit both IKEA
and its customers.

32
00:03:10.040 --> 00:03:16.120
To give the products an identity, they
are given names instead of numbers.

33
00:03:16.280 --> 00:03:20.680
And they're advertised in supplements
in a farming gazette.

34
00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:30.680
Swedes have a reputation for being
both stupid and incredibly smart.

35
00:03:31.760 --> 00:03:35.960
The truth is likely somewhere
in between, but one thing is certain:

36
00:03:36.120 --> 00:03:39.760
Sweden is a country
that loves engineering.

37
00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:45.120
Swedes build, measure
and calculate everything,

38
00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:50.760
from aircraft, to the precise,
perfect dimensions of the kitchen.

39
00:03:51.920 --> 00:03:57.280
Everything can and will be planned
with mathematical perfection.

40
00:03:57.440 --> 00:04:03.400
From this, IKEA will grow and become
one of the world's best-known brands.

41
00:04:07.040 --> 00:04:10.720
From playing shops
to global economy.

42
00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:19.040
But that's not where we are yet
in this story.

43
00:04:19.200 --> 00:04:22.600
A tough journey lies ahead.