Jysk Fynske Medier

Jysk A/S ( ) is a Danish retail chain specializing in household goods, including mattresses, furniture, and interior décor. As Denmark's largest international retailer, Jysk operates more than 3,400 stores across 48 countries. The name "Jysk"—meaning "Jutlandic"—reflects the company's Danish heritage. It was founded by Lars Larsen, who opened the first store on Silkeborgvej in the Danish city of Aarhus in April 1979. Today, Jysk is owned by the family of its founder through the Lars Larsen Group, a holding company that also fully or partially owns furniture chains such as ILVA, IDÉmøbler, IDdesign, Bolia.com, and Sengespecialisten. The company’s logo features a goose, symbolically linked to the brand’s origins. Known for its Scandinavian design, Jysk is sometimes referred to as a smaller-scale Danish IKEA.

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History

1979–1989

On 2 April 1979, the first Jysk Sengetøjslager store opened in Aarhus, Denmark, where it continues to operate today.

In 1984, Jysk Sengetøjslager expanded beyond Denmark, opening its first store in Germany under the name Dänisches Bettenlager. That same year, the company launched its first franchise store in Greenland. In 1986, Jysk opened its first store in the Faroe Islands, followed by an expansion into Iceland in 1987, with a store in Kópavogur under the name "Rúmfatalagerinn." In 1988, Jysk entered the Norwegian market, opening its first store in Stavanger under the name "Norsk Sengetøylager."

1990–1999

In 1995, Jysk opened its first store in Finland. In 1996, Jysk expanded to North America, opening its first Canadian store in Coquitlam, British Columbia. In 1998, Jysk celebrated the opening of its 500th store.

2000–2009

In 2000, Jysk entered the Polish market. In 2001, the company unified its branding, changing store names in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland from Jysk Sengetøjslager, Jysk Bäddlager, Norsk Sengetøylager, and Jysk Vuodevarasto to simply Jysk. In 2004, Jysk opened its first store in Hungary. In 2008, Jysk Nordic inaugurated Northern Europe’s largest warehouse in Uldum, Mid-Jutland, covering 64,000 m². That same year, Jysk expanded into the UK, with stores opening in Mansfield and Lincoln in April, followed by Blackburn and York during the summer.

2010–2019

In 2010, Jysk was awarded a royal warrant of appointment as purveyor to the Queen of Denmark. That year, the company’s staff magazine ''GO JYSK'' received several accolades, including Staff Magazine of the Year in Denmark and second place in Europe. In 2011, Jysk launched its own television channel, www.jysk.tv. In 2013, Jysk entered the Caucasus region, opening its first store in Yerevan, Armenia. Between 2014 and 2015, Jysk expanded to Indonesia, opening stores in Mall Taman Anggrek and Pejaten Village in Jakarta. Jysk continued growing in Indonesia, with additional locations in Margo City Depok, Kuningan City, Pluit Village, and Aeon Mall BSD City in Tangerang. In 2016, Jysk expanded into Singapore, opening its first store at Tiong Bahru Plaza. That year, Jysk also launched stores in Belarus, Tajikistan, and Tbilisi, Georgia. In 2017, Jysk expanded further, opening a third store in Minsk, its first store in Brest, and its first store in Kuwait. In 2018, Jysk entered the UAE market with its first store in Dubai. In 2019, the company launched in Thailand and opened its first store in Baku, Azerbaijan. That same year, Jysk inaugurated its fourth logistics hub in Bulgaria, the DCB (Distribution Center Bozhurishte).

Jysk also entered the Republic of Ireland in 2019, opening its first store in Naas. Initially planning 15 stores nationwide, the goal was later increased to 40. As of February 2022, operational stores include locations in Naas, Drogheda, Navan, Portlaoise, Thurles, Youghal, Little Island, Limerick, Sligo, and Santry.

Lars Larsen passed away on 19 August 2019.

In September 2019, Jysk Nordic and Dänisches Bettenlager merged into a single business unit, with all stores rebranded under the Jysk name.

Stores

Jysk stores typically operate in a medium-sized format, with an average area of .

Historically, Jysk stores operated through three main entities: Jysk Nordic, Dänisches Bettenlager, and Jysk Franchise.

Jysk Nordic managed more than 1,500 stores across 21 countries, including those in Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe. Dänisches Bettenlager operated over 1,300 stores in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal. The name “Dänisches Bettenlager” was used until 2020 in Austria and until 2021 in Germany, which remains Jysk’s largest market. In other countries, including Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, the stores have long used the Jysk brand. Today, Jysk Nordic and Dänisches Bettenlager have been consolidated into a single entity under the unified Jysk name.

Jysk also operates under franchise agreements in over 200 stores across 23 countries, including Canada, the Caucasus, the Baltics, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Geographic distribution

Number of stores by country as of 1 November 2023.

References

External links

Official website

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Lars Larsen Group
Furniture retailers
Retail companies of Denmark
Design companies of Denmark
Purveyors to the Court of Denmark
Companies based in Aarhus
Retail companies established in 1979
Multinational companies headquartered in Denmark
Danish brands
Danish companies established in 1979
Design companies established in 1979