ICA AB (Inköpscentralernas aktiebolag, lit. the Purchasing Centers' Corporation) is a Swedish retailing corporate group. The company was started in 1938, based on a business model which was introduced by Hakonbolagen in 1917. Most of its operations are based in Scandinavia, and the company is the largest retail company in the Nordic countries.
The company was owned by the participating retailers until 2000 when half of the company was sold to the Dutch retailer Ahold. It acquired a further 10% in 2004. Ahold is prevented by contractual obligation from exercising majority control over ICA.
An approximation of the usual pronunciation of the name in Sweden for an English speaker would be 'ee-kah'.
Read more about ICA AB: Sweden, Norway, Rimi Baltic, ICA Bank, ICA Real Estate