IKEA (Audio)

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

November 18, 2024

Duration

3h 22m

Channel

Acquired

Watch on YouTube

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📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

IKEA may be the most singular company we’ve ever studied on Acquired. They’re a globally scaled, $50B annual revenue company with no direct competitors — yet have only ~5% market share. They’re one of the largest retailers in the world — yet sell only their own products. They generate a few billion in free cash flow every year — yet have no shareholders. And oh yeah, they also sell hot dogs cheaper than Costco! (Sort of.) Tune in for an episode flat-packed with counterintuitive lessons about how this folksy mail order business from the Swedish countryside came into your living rooms (and bedrooms and dining rooms and kitchens and bathrooms and patios and garages and backyards) all over the globe! *Links:*

• The Testament of a Furniture Dealer: https://www.inter.ikea.com/en/-/media/InterIKEA/IGI/Financial%20Reports/English_The_testament_of_a_dealer_2018.pdf
• Worldly Partners Multi-Decade IKEA Study: https://worldlypartners.com/businesshistory
• Episode sources: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/ikea#sources

*Carve Outs:*

• Detroiters: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4779762/
• The 11-inch iPad Pro: https://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/
• The QB School: https://www.youtube.com/c/theqbschool
• Ice Cube at the World Series: https://youtu.be/C-Cv9z86cOE?si=lknKUOgzst4HTW2X

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• Get email updates https://www.acquired.fm/email and vote on future episodes!
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• Check out the latest swag in the ACQ Merch Store https://www.acquired.fm/store!

_Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions._

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Ben Gilbert

  host

• David Rosenthal

  host

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Acquired, featuring Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, IKEA (Audio) explores How IKEA engineered low-cost design, scale, and experiences for masses Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal trace IKEA from Ingvar Kamprad’s scrappy Småland upbringing and mail-order trading business into the world’s largest furniture retailer.

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