Bilka is a Danish chain of
hypermarket
A hypermarket or superstore is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full grocery lines and general merchandise. In ...
s. The first store opened in 1970 in
Tilst, a suburb of
Aarhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...
. The chain was founded by
Herman Salling and is now a part of
Salling Group
Salling Group A/S (formerly Dansk Supermarked A/S) is Denmark's largest retailer, with a market share around 34%. It operates several chains of stores, including Netto, Føtex, Bilka, and Salling. Additionally, it holds franchise rights for S ...
.
Name
The name ''Bilka'' is derived from the German ''Billiges Kaufhaus'' (low-price department store), which its founder, Herman Salling had encountered during his business trips to
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
.
The First Bilka Store
The first ''Bilka'' store was the first low-cost store in Denmark. With sale area of 10000 square meters and parking space for 1200 cars, this was also the largest store in Denmark.
The opening of the first ''Bilka'' store brought revision to the regional plan for Great Aarhus from 1954.
According to that plan the area of Aarhus was supposed to have 2 new centers, but after the opening of the first ''Bilka'' store, this plan was no longer economically viable.
The building of the store was approved by Brabrand-Årslev Parish, since the land was part of the
Brabrand Parish.The developer of the store, however decided he wanted to create remote storage for Salling Group. That is the reason why the ''Bilka'' store was functioning as an ''open'' stock market with most of the goods stocked in pallets and forklifts in the aisles during open hours.
At the beginning of 2010, the first ''Bilka'' store celebrated its 40th birthday and it was completely renovated. All of the old 31 cash registers, from 1970, were replaced with 28 new modern ones and 8 self-service terminals. Furthermore, all the departments were completely renovated and today, this store has the largest Fruits & Vegetables department in
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
.
Bilka stores
There are Bilka stores located in the following cities:
See also
*
Dansk Supermarked Gruppen
*
A.P. Møller-Mærsk
*
A-Z
*
Netto
*
føtex
References
External links
Bilka's WebsiteDansk Supermarked Gruppen Webpage
Retail companies established in 1970
Supermarkets of Denmark
Companies based in Aarhus
Dansk Supermarked
1970 establishments in Denmark
Salling Group
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