# Søstrene Grene

Søstrene Grene 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.
'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.

## Concept

The situation of the first store was up some stairs on the first floor. The concept comes from Inger and Knud wanting to do something unique to attract customers up the stairs.
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.
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.

## 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 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.
| 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 |

### 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.
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.