Søstrene Grene

Søstrene Grene (translating to ”The Sisters Grene”, “Grene” being the family name of the founders. “Grene” is not a cognate of “green” or “branches”, which the name is sometimes incorrectly thought to mean.) is a Danish retail chain which was founded in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1973 by Inger Grene and Knud Cresten Vaupell Olsen. The company headquarters is located in Aarhus, although it was relocated to Pakhusene at Aarhus Ø in April 2017.[2]

Søstrene Grene
Private
IndustryRetail
Founded1973
FounderInger Grene and Knud Cresten Vaupell Olsen
Headquarters
Aarhus
,
Denmark
Area served
Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Japan, United Kingdom, The Faroe Islands, Switzerland, Austria, Finland
Key people
Mikkel Grene (CEO and Co-owner), Cresten Grene (Creative Director and Co-owner)
ProductsInterior decor, gifts, stationery, furniture
34.5 million krone(2015)[1]
Websitewww.sostrenegrene.com

Although it says “Søstrene Grenes handelskompagnie” in the logo, the chain is only called Søstrene Grene.

Today, Mikkel Grene is CEO of the company,[3] and he is the son of the original founders. His brother, Cresten Grene, is Creative Director, and together these two brothers own and run the family company.

Store concept

Søstrene Grene's stores are shaped like labyrinths, and they play classical music in all of their stores. The stores sell Scandinavian design, home accessories, kitchenware, gifts, stationery and interior furnishings and much more.

On the signs throughout the stores and in the company logo, Anna and Clara have been present since the beginning in 1973. These two sisters are the hosts in all of Søstrene Grene's stories. Anna and Clara's personalities are based on the personalities of Inger Grene's two paternal aunts, and together, Anna and Clara represent all the values Søstrene Grene stands for. Anna and Clara are not the founders of Søstrene Grene.

Stores

The first Søstrene Grene store opened in 1973 on the first floor of Søndergade 11 in Aarhus. The chain expanded with stores in Aalborg and Herning in 1989, and the expansion continued throughout the 90s and 00s. In 2005, the chain opened in Reykjavik in Iceland, while the stores in Stavanger, Norway, and Malmö, Sweden, opened in 2006.

During 2015, the company opened 20 new stores in Denmark.[4] Today, Søstrene Grene is located on 16 different markets:[5] Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Japan, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, The Netherlands, Spain, France, The Faroe Islands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium.

These numbers are from October 2018:

Country Number of stores
Austria 2
Belgium 1
Denmark 57
Faroe Islands 1
France 38
Germany 37
Iceland 2
Ireland 6
Japan 4
Netherlands 12
Norway 44
Spain 2
Sweden 8
Switzerland 6
UK 4

References
  1. W, Ray (26 August 2015). "Søstrene Grene planning to open hundreds of new stores". The Post. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  2. "Søstrene Grene flytter hovedsæde til Aarhus Ø" (in Danish). Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  3. "Broder Grene har dybe rødder". Berlingske Business (in Danish). 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  4. W, Ray (26 August 2015). "Søstrene Grene planning to open hundreds of new stores". The Post. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  5. "Stores - Søstrene Grene". Søstrene Grene. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
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