Two friends enjoying a cup of coffe together after shopping at IKEA.

Ingka Group governance

We’re an IKEA franchisee

Ingka Group (IKEA Retail) is one of 12 franchisees, operating IKEA stores and other sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Group, the owner of the IKEA Concept and worldwide IKEA franchisor.

Inter IKEA Group and Ingka Group have the same founder, as well as a common history and heritage, but are two groups of companies with different management and different owners.

All IKEA franchisees pay a 3% franchise fee to Inter IKEA Systems B.V. The franchise fee gives us, as an IKEA retailer, the right to operate stores and other sales channels under the IKEA Concept and IKEA Brand. It grants access to systems, methods and proven solutions as well as staff trainings, manuals and updates of the IKEA Concept such as store layouts, fittings and display concepts.

Our three businesses

Ingka Group operates three businesses in one: IKEA Retail, Ingka Centres and Ingka Investments.

IKEA Retail is our core business. We currently operate 482 IKEA stores, shops and planning studio’s in 31 countries, generating 89% of all IKEA sales worldwide.

Ingka Centres operates 33 shopping centres in 15 countries, under different trademarks, always anchored by an IKEA store.

Ingka Investments makes responsible investments to strengthen Ingka Group’s long-term growth, secure its financial position and support its sustainability goals.

Person holding IKEA bags waiting for the train home after shopping in an IKEA store

The Ingka Group

Ingka Centres

Woman getting help from IKEA employee in the kitchen department.

IKEA Retail

Father and daughter in a yellow dress and red rubber boots working together in a green house

Ingka Investments

Our unique ownership structure is built for purpose

Ingka Group (Ingka Holding B.V. and its controlled entities) has an ownership structure that ensures independence and a long term approach.

Ingka Group is owned by a Dutch foundation, Stichting INGKA Foundation (INGKA Foundation).

INGKA Foundation does not have any owners; it owns itself. It also does not have any beneficial owners but holds its assets only on its own behalf. This means that nobody is entitled to the assets of the Foundation.

Stichting Ingka Foundation

Owner of Ingka Group

Stichting IKEA Foundation

Charity

Stichting IMAS Foundation

Management of own Financial Assets

Financially independent and purpose driven

The unique ownership structure together with a financial approach based on 80 years of earning the money before we spend it, allows us to be financially independent and purpose-driven in our decisions. We think in generations not financial quarters, and invest in the long-term good of our customers, our business, people, society and our planet.

What is INGKA Foundation's charitable purpose?

INGKA Foundation has a charitable purpose to create a better everyday life for the many people in need. The INGKA Foundation achieves its charitable purpose by providing funding to the Stichting IKEA Foundation, an independent philanthropic grant-making organisation committed to tackling the two biggest threats to the future of children and families: poverty and climate change. 

Long-term focus on customers, business, people, society and planet

Ingka Group’s long-term focus is on customers, business, people, society and planet. In FY23, we invested 85% of our net income back into our business. This allows us to keep our prices low, accelerate growth, ensure employment, transform and innovate our business, and reach our sustainability and societal goals.

In FY23, 15% of the net income of Ingka Group is paid as dividend to the sole owner of Ingka Group, INGKA Foundation. INGKA Foundation ultimately uses the dividends to support the IKEA Foundation in its charitable purpose.

INGKA Foundation also provides funds to IMAS Foundation, which has a charitable purpose to create a better everyday life for the many people in need. This is achieved by managing its assets and by financially supporting INGKA Foundation.

INGKA Foundation is committed to secure the long-term ownership and independence of Ingka Group. As its owner, INGKA Foundation can reinvest funds into Ingka Group.

Annual Report FY23

Financial year 2023 (FY23) marked the 80th business year for IKEA – 80 years of offering affordable home furnishing to our customers and being financially independent. Our value creation strategy means we seek to make balanced decisions and measure performance holistically across four areas: Better homes for our customers, Better lives for the many people and our co-workers, a Better planet for all, and a Better company now and for future generations. For more information on our financial performance, please read the Annual Report summary FY23 below.

Annual Report summary 2023

Ingka Group and Taxes

We are a purpose-led company driven by the IKEA vision to create a better everyday life for the many people. We steer our business towards the vision, creating long-term value for society.

Tax is part of our framework for creating long-term value to society through better homes for our customers, better lives for co-workers and communities, a better planet for all and a better company for generations to come. Ingka Group pays taxes in accordance with laws and regulations, wherever we are present as an IKEA retailer, with our Ingka Centres meeting places or in any other role. We have a strong commitment to manage our tax operations in a responsible way and to contribute to the societies where we operate.

For more information on our FY23 Taxes, including Public Country-by-Country Reporting, you can read the Ingka Group FY23 Tax report below. 

Ingka Group Tax report FY23

Man going up in an escalator with a blue IKEA bag over his shoulder

Ingka Group Tax Principles

Ingka Group’s approach to tax is anchored in the following Tax Principles.

Consistent with this approach, we are a signatory to the B Team Responsible Tax Principles.

Tax is a core part of our corporate responsibility and governance and fully integrated in our governance structure
We are fully committed to comply with relevant tax laws and regulations in all the jurisdictions in which we operate and where the value is created.
We conduct intragroup transactions on an arm’s length basis and are fully committed to comply with obligations under transfer pricing rules in the jurisdictions where we operate, and under global transfer pricing principles.
We recognize the importance of respecting both the letter and the spirit of the law and will always act accordingly.
We will only use business structures and carry out transactions with a commercial or economic purpose. Whilst tax is considered in significant business decisions, we do not carry out operations where saving tax is the main benefit we expect.
We do not have tax-initiated operations in tax havens.
Where tax incentives are offered by government authorities, we ensure that, in case of use of such incentives, this is done in a transparent way and consistent with statutory and regulatory frameworks.
We continuously develop and maintain cooperative long-term relationships with tax authorities, based on mutual respect, trust, transparency and, where possible, dialogues upfront.
We are fully committed to be transparent about our approach to tax and the taxes we pay.

Digital Ethics

Ingka Group aims to be a leader in digital ethics – promoting trustworthy use of data and algorithms. We have built on our previous work on data ethics to launch a new commitment on Digital Ethics which sets out to use data and algorithms, including artificial intelligence (AI), in a responsible and beneficial way for the many people and our planet.

In June 2022 we established Ingka Group Policy on Digital Ethics. The policy is aligned with international standards, including the European Commission’s Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI (2019), the OECD Recommendation on AI (2019) and UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI (2021). The policy provides a blueprint for how we as a company will ensure that our algorithmic systems go beyond legal compliance, are trustworthy and align with our Ingka values.