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How IKEA creator Ingvar Kamprad built the world's largest furniture retailer - and a $39 billion fortune

Tanza LoudenbackJan 31, 2016, 19:00 IST

Twitter/Ingvar Kamprad

Swedish business magnate Ingvar Kamprad has been at the helm of IKEA, one of the world's largest furniture stores and most beloved brands, for more than 70 years.

With a net worth of $39.3 billion, the retailer ranks as the 10th richest person on earth and the second-richest in Europe, according to new data from Wealth-X.

The 89-year-old grew his flatpacking furniture brand by maintaining a personal and professional ethos of innovation and simplicity.

From humble beginnings selling holiday tchotchkes to his neighbors as a child, here's how Kamprad started a revolutionary, privately held $33 billion in sales furniture giant - and became one of the richest people on earth in the process.