Biltema is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

chain of retail stores, specializing in tools, car supplies and leisure products. Founded in 1963 in

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, Biltema also has stores in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

and

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 ...

. The company is owned privately by founder Sten Åke Lindholm, through Dutch company Biltema BV. Kempeleen Biltema

History

In 1963 the company was established under the name "General Partnership Biltema". Their business was mail order sales of automotive parts and accessories. Initially, the company was operated from a small basement in

, Sweden. After a year, the firm expanded their mail-order business with a small shop, also in the same basement. The policy of buying directly from the manufacturer led Biltema to investigate where the various products were made. In the late 1970s, the company began building strategic sourcing contacts around the world. In 1976, sales rose, and the company moved to Torvinge near Linköping. The store then expanded to about 2,700 square meters in the early 1980s. In 1983, Biltema opened its first store outside Sweden in Norway, followed by one in Finland in 1985.

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* * * * {{In lang, da Hardware stores Retail companies of Sweden Swedish brands Swedish companies established in 1963 Retail companies established in 1963 Companies based in Gothenburg 20th-century establishments in Östergötland County