The founder of IKEA — which once seemed like the most wholesome of all multinational companies — was apparently a Nazi. At this point, basically every retail chain is tainted with some sort of scandal. Here’s a helpful guide.
IKEA
According to the Telegraph, a new book reveals that founder Ingvar Kamprad was a member of the Swedish Nazi party, and that he once wrote that he “misses no opportunity to work for the movement.” But it’s okay — he totally had a Jewish friend!
Zara
A Brazilian newspaper reports that manufacturers for the clothing retailer keep employees in de facto slavery. According to the LA Times,
In Sao Paolo, migrants primarily from Bolivia — including minors and undocumented immigrants — were found to be producing Zara clothes in sweatshops with poor ventilation and hygiene and unacceptable fire risks. Workers were being paid a little more than $1 for jeans that would eventually retail at more than $100, and some were locked into paying their wages to human traffickers who smuggled them into the country, reports said.
Zara’s parent company calls this “unauthorized outsourcing,” which is especially sinister.