Ikea's enigmatic founder turns 90

Stockholm

IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, who built a global business empire with revolutionary flat-pack furniture and dallied with Nazism in his youth, turns 90 on Wednesday.

Creator of the Swedish furniture empire famous for its thrift, style and convenience, Mr Kamprad is also known for alleged tax avoidance.

The contrasts at Ikea - an everyman's furniture store yet global behemoth - illuminates his conflicting character.

An admirer of the humble classes who bent over backwards to avoid paying taxes, Mr Kamprad has been described as an obsessive penny-pincher despite being one of the world's richest people.

He created a modern, visionary business model but never escaped the taint of…