IKEA, Sweden’s Jewel

Today, IKEA has 171 stores in 31 countries—all of them in close proximity to large urban areas—including 15 in the United States and nine in Canada. The global network brings in $9.6 billion a year, employs 65,000 co-workers, and is visited by 260 million people annually.

Last December, IKEA opened its second store in Moscow. First to cross the threshold was a cat—a time-honored tradition in Russia when a new building is opened (cats are believed to have magical powers and drive away evil spirits). But not just any cat came traipsing in.