Swedish furniture group Ikea is set to get a new
chief executive in 2013, while the founder of the company is to stay
on as senior advisor, the company said Monday.
Peter Agnefjall was named deputy chief executive and is to work
alongside current chief executive Mikael Ohlsson until September
2013, when he succeeds Ohlsson as head of the Ikea Group.
Ohlsson, 55, joined the company 34 years ago and has been a member
of Ikea's management since 1995. He has been chief executive since
September 2009.
Agnefjall, 41, is currently head of Ikea Sweden, but has also
worked with founder Ingvar Kamprad, former chief executive Anders
Dahlvig and Ohlsson.
Kamprad said he "appreciated" that Ohlsson would stay on a year to
ensure a "smooth transition," the company said.
Earlier, company spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said that the
86-year-old Kamprad has no plans to leave his role as senior advisor.
She refuted a report in the Expressen daily that said the
86-year-old Kamprad was handing over the reins to his three sons.
"Ingvar is a wise man and we are pleased that he is still with
us," she told dpa.
The three brothers - Jonas, Mathias and Peter - have leading
positions in the Ikea group, but have stayed out of the limelight. An
interview with the three in the coming issue of Ikea's personnel
newspaper Readme was believed to have fuelled the Expressen report.
Ingvar Kamprad, who founded Ikea in 1943, has in recent years
acted as a senior advisor and attended board meetings. He has, since
the 1970s, lived in Switzerland.
The conglomerate operates more than 300 stores in more than 35
countries. Those pay 3 per cent in royalties on all sales to the
parent company in exchange for the right to employ the chain's retail
concept.
