Åhléns

Åhléns (Swedish pronunciation: [oːˈleːns]) is a chain of Swedish department stores. With locations in almost every city in the country, including as many as 18 in Stockholm alone as of March 2007, it is the 4th largest group of fashion stores in Sweden. Åhléns also has business operations in Norway.

History

At the beginning, Åhléns was a mail order business. It was created in 1899 by Johan Petter Åhlén and Erik Holm, in the little town of Insjön in the province of Dalarna. The name of the company was then “Åhlén och Holm” (Åhlén and Holm).

The first thing the company sold was a royal painting. Over 100 000 copies were sold, and it was very successful. The years went by, and Åhlén and Holm only got bigger. After only 10 years, JP Åhlén had a company with a worth of 1.5 million SEK and 255 employed workers. In 1915, the company was moved to Stockholm. Before he moved the company, JP Åhlén had secured a seven-floor storage room. Half of the employees came with him to Stockholm.

In 1932, JP Åhlén decided that he wanted to expand the business and create a retail trade store with low prices. So, he established the Tempo department store and opened it on Östermalmstorg in Stockholm. JP Åhlén died in 1939, leaving the companies to his oldest son. On the 50th anniversary (1945) of the establishment of Åhléns and Holm, his son could present a company worth 87 million SEK, and with an employment list of more than 2700 workers.