Budget-friendly and forward-thinking, Swedish furniture giant IKEA came to America in 1985, opening its first store in a mall near Philadelphia. It was embraced early on by American shoppers for its low prices and chic designs, so much so that it had to close its doors to customers at one point because it ran out of merchandise. Currently, there are 50 IKEA stores in the US and it is the company’s second-biggest market.

Discover more about the brand and its owner, read Ingvar Kamprad: how IKEA's enigmatic founder became a billionaire and 30 IKEA facts that may surprise you

Foreign companies that Americans love