Ingvar Kamprad, the frugal Swedish genius who created Ikea, may have died earlier this year, but he left behind many loyal followers to ensure that his distinctive flat-pack furniture continues to fill homes across the globe.

One such keeper of the flame is Anders Dahlvig, who departed as chief executive almost a decade ago but still wields influence over the company that last year sold 85m LED light bulbs and recorded 817m visitors to its stores.

The unassuming Swede has for the last two years chaired Inter Ikea, which sounds to the uninitiated like the staff football team. It is actually where much power has accumulated recently in Ikea’s labyrinthine ownership structure.

Why the need for a subtle reorganisation at one of the world’s most successful retailers?

The answer is not so subtle: because the entire industry is undergoing a profound change from which even the market leaders are not immune.

“Digitisation is God’s gift to someone like Ikea,” Dahlvig, 60, proclaims confidently on the sidelines of the World Retail Congress in Madrid, where web giants are trying to outdo each other with pronouncements about how fast commerce is becoming mobile, predictive and powered by robots.