Furniture giant Ikea has lost its crown as Sweden's most trusted brand for the first time in 10 years, slipping to number four in the Nordic Brand Academy's annual rankings.

This year's rankings were topped by do-it-yourself chain Clas Ohlson, followed by Google (which was the only non-Swedish company to make the top ten) and supermarket chain Ica.

Irish low-budget airline Ryanair was considered the least trusted brand.

Robert Gelmanovski, managing partner at Nordic Brand Academy, said the main factor that influences the public's perception of a company's is delivery of the firm's core business. Corporate governance and social responsibility, though, are growing in importance.

"From a communication perspective, honesty and sincerity is the main reputation driver," he told the Swedish Wire. "In short: walk the talk and deliver on expectations. It is not possible to buy yourself a good reputation through massive media investments."

What trends do you see in this year's ranking?
"We have been conducting these surveys since 2003 and currently we see a momentum for the retail sector in Sweden, with many companies having a strong reputation.

"Another interesting thing is the fact that Samsung for the first time has a better overall reputation than Apple.

"We also see IKEA - who has had the strongest reputation in Sweden 9 out of the 10 years - now falling to fourth place. The company still has a strong reputation but it is significantly weaker than a few years ago," Gelmanovski said.

The survey was based on interviews with 15,000 Swedes who were questioned about their confidence in 50 of the biggest companies operating in the country.

Ten most reputable companies in Sweden

1. Clas Ohlsson

2. Google

3. ICA

4. IKEA

5. Apoteket AB

6. Volvo PV

7. Stadium

8. Electrolux

9. Scania

10. Samsung

Ten least reputable companies in Sweden

1. Ryanair

2. SJ

3. Telenor

4. 3

5. Mc Donald´s

6. Fortum

7. Vattenfall

8. Nordea

9. Skandia

10. EON
Sourse: Nordic Brand Academy