Søstrene Grene

Søstrene Grene Import A/S
(SG Northern England Ltd.)
	A Søstrene Grene shop in the city of Groningen.
Trade name	Søstrene Grene
Company type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	1973
Founder	Inger Grene and Knud Cresten Vaupell Olsen
Headquarters	Aarhus, Denmark
Area served	Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Key people	Mikkel Grene; (CEO and co-owner); Cresten Grene; (creative director and co-owner)
Products	Interior decor, gifts, stationery, furniture
Net income	34.5 million krone (2015)
Website	sostrenegrene.com

Søstrene Grene (/sɒstrɛneɪ grɛneɪ/; SOSS-tren-EH gren-EH)^[a] is a family-owned Danish multi-category retail chain. It was founded in Aarhus, Denmark in 1973 by married team Inger Grene and Knud Cresten Vaupell Olsen.^[2]

'Søstrene Grene' is Danish for 'the Grene sisters'. The Grene family still owns and runs the chain today, with the founders' children Mikkel Grene becoming the CEO and Cresten Grene becoming the creative director in 2012.^[3]

Concept

The situation of the first store was up some stairs on the first floor.^{[clarification needed]} The concept comes from Inger and Knud wanting to do something unique to attract customers up the stairs.^[3]

Søstrene Grene stores have a maze layout with a course that carries customers through all their product categories, leading them to return to the checkouts at the front of the store. The stores use strategic spotlighting and dark walls to create a cosy atmosphere and play classical music to create a sense of calm.

Their product selections include homeware (such as furniture, kitchenware, lighting, bathroom accessories), crafts, gardening, gifting supplies, stationery, travel accessories, children's games and toys, and snacks. New products are released weekly and available for a short time creating an experience of discovery and uniqueness. Products have a focus on Scandinavian design, many with floral elements, and are priced very affordably. All products are exclusive to Søstrene Grene with the exception of some snacks and online-only exclusive items.^{[citation needed]}

The concept could be compared to Danish variety store chains Flying Tiger and Normal as they also offer a large varied selection of products at affordable/competitive prices in stores with a maze layout. However, Søstrene Grene has a greater focus on design and lifestyle branding. In comparison, Flying Tiger has more gimmick products and private-label food/personal care products, and Normal is known more for bargain-priced food/personal care products by national brands.^{[citation needed]}

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.

The company moved its headquarters to Aarhus Docklands in April 2017^[4] and are now present in 14 different markets. They previously had stores in Spain and Japan but the concept was found to be not as successful due to differences in lifestyle and shopping habits.^[3]

Country	Number of stores (Jan 2024)
Austria	2
Belgium	2
Denmark	57
Faroe Islands	1
Finland	5
France	39
Germany	54
Iceland	2
Ireland	4
Netherlands	12
Norway	44
Sweden	15
Switzerland	12
United Kingdom	21

Total 280shops

UK

Søstrene Grene entered the UK in 2016 with a store in Nottingham and over the years expanded across the north of England and Northern Ireland. Since 2023, they have been undergoing a rapid expansion in the UK, opening their first Scotland store in Glasgow and their first London store in Southside Wandsworth shopping centre. That same year, they opened a flagship store – one of the biggest outside Denmark – on Tottenham Court Road.^[5]^[6]

In the UK, Søstrene Grene operate legally under 'SG Northern England Ltd.' but the company is still referred to as Søstrene Grene.

Online store

Their online store has regional versions for each country they're present in except the Faroe Islands, and the Finland version only offers browsing.

Notes

^ "Grene" is the family name of the founders, a husband-and-wife team,^[2] and does not mean "green". The two "sisters" in the company name and store signs are fictional.^[2]

References

^ W, Ray (26 August 2015). "Søstrene Grene planning to open hundreds of new stores". The Post. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Flyvbjerg, Kim (29 November 2015). "Brødrene Grene". Berlingske.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "You and Yours - Gap Finders: Mikkel Grene from Søstrene Grene - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
^ "Søstrene Grene flytter hovedsæde til Aarhus Ø" (in Danish). Retrieved 19 January 2018.
^ OLPR (2 August 2018). "Søstrene Grene opens its biggest store outside of Denmark on Dublin's Georges Street on Friday 3rd August at 9am". O'Leary PR. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
^ Morgan, Aoife (1 December 2023). "In pictures: Søstrene Grene unveils central London flagship amid rapid UK expansion - Retail Gazette". www.retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2024.

[3] "Grene" is the family name of the founders, a husband-and-wife team,^[2] and does not mean "green". The two "sisters" in the company name and store signs are fictional.^[2]

[1] W, Ray (26 August 2015). "Søstrene Grene planning to open hundreds of new stores". The Post. Retrieved 9 December 2015.

[:1-2] Flyvbjerg, Kim (29 November 2015). "Brødrene Grene". Berlingske.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[interviewwiththefounders-4] "You and Yours - Gap Finders: Mikkel Grene from Søstrene Grene - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2024.

[5] "Søstrene Grene flytter hovedsæde til Aarhus Ø" (in Danish). Retrieved 19 January 2018.

[6] OLPR (2 August 2018). "Søstrene Grene opens its biggest store outside of Denmark on Dublin's Georges Street on Friday 3rd August at 9am". O'Leary PR. Retrieved 28 January 2024.

[7] Morgan, Aoife (1 December 2023). "In pictures: Søstrene Grene unveils central London flagship amid rapid UK expansion - Retail Gazette". www.retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2024.

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