Former Ikea exec launches broadside at Swedish retail giant

16th November 2009 | retail | Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has come under fire in a new tell all book written by one of the firm's former bosses.

In Sanningen om Ikea (the Truth about Ikea), Johan Stenebo says Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad's wholesome image as a modest living man living the Ikea lifestyle with cheap and cheerful furnishings is a fallacy, instead insisting he rules Ikea as though it were a sect, using staff surveillance tactics more akin to the Stasi, the East German secret police force.

Stenebo, a one time personal assistant to Kamprad, says his motive for writing the book was a moral one, and that he couldn't go along with the false image the retailer enjoys any more.

He added that the wholesome down to earth image was propogated in part to drive down suppliers' prices, and he went on to criticise the company's product quality and its commitment to the environment.