The founder of IKEA has died at the age of 91.

The founder of IKEA and one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 20th century, Ingvar Kamprad, has passed away at the age of 91. pic.twitter.com/DxyALH1LQ9

— IKEA Today (@IKEAtoday) January 28, 2018

Ingvar Kamprad was only 17 when he started the company before it took off with customers a few years later.

He got the idea to start the company after he saw an employee taking the legs off a table so it could fit into a customer's car.

The shrewd teenager realised that saving space meant saving money and built his empire on the simple concept.

In a statement - the company described the man behind the iconic Swedish flat-pack furniture - as one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 20th century.

The IKEA Group now owns 276 stores in 25 countries.

There is a grand total of 313 IKEA stores in 38 countries/territories. The other 37 stores are owned and run by franchisees outside the IKEA Group in 17 countries/territories.

The sole Irish IKEA store opened in Ballymun, Dublin on 27th July 2009.