JYSK is an international retail chain that sells “everything for the house”, which is still owned by its founder, Lars Larsen, who is known throughout Denmark as a leading dealer who always has a “great offer”. In 1979, when he opened his first store in Denmark in the second-largest Danish city of Aarhus – where he still is today – Larsen had great ambitions, though he never imagined how fast his business would grow. Larsen continued to open several successful JYSK Sengetøjslager (original store name until 2001) stores on various locations across Denmark, and in 1984 opened his first store outside the country’s border, in neighboring Germany.
Today, JYSK Group has about 2,500 stores in 43 countries around the world. The annual turnover is 2.9 billion euros. Growth is stable and controlled and the company has a total of 20,000 employees.
The word “JYSK” has always been intentionally included in the name of the company. In Danish “JYSK” means something or – like Lars Larsen – someone who comes from the Jutland Peninsula, and is often associated with modesty, thoroughness and honesty – three values that Larsen himself has always identified with. JYSK stands for reliability, and the deal is always a deal.
