Looking back we can see that the ICA Idea itself is our first and perhaps our most important innovation. The idea of allowing individual retailers to join forces and form purchasing centres so that, through coordinated purchasing and other forms of collaboration, they could achieve the same economies of scale as chain enterprises.
Hakon Swenson started Hakonbolaget in 1917 in Västerås, Sweden, from which today’s ICA originated. In 1972 the ICA agreement formed the foundation for the modern ICA model. The ICA agreement is a unique way of preserving the ICA Idea by giving talented store employees the opportunity to become business owners with a small financial investment and low risk.
The system by which ICA stores jointly finance new stores and coordinate marketing activities is an extension of the original ICA Idea and an example of the innovation that has had a significant impact on the Swedish grocery retail market.