Dansk Supermarked changes its name to Salling Group

Retail operations have been conducted under the Salling name since 1906, and from June 1st, Salling Group will be the new name for Dansk Supermarked. This is a name change that reflects both the historical roots and the new ownership.

The Salling Foundations’ reacquisition of the company began in 2014 and was made a reality in 2017. With the Salling Foundations as sole owner, the company will now be renamed Salling Group after the company’s founder.

– With Salling Group, we are returning to our roots in many ways and paying tribute to our origins. We are proud of what Ferdinand and, not least, Herman Salling created, and we are now carrying this forward even clearer in the Salling name with the ambition of ensuring a leading, long-term and viable Danish retail business, says Jens Bjerg Sørensen, Chair of Købmand Herman Sallings Fond.

Foundation ownership means that Salling Group works exclusively in order to make everyday life better for customers and partners, creates jobs and opportunities by developing the business, and gives back to the community. The company’s profits are solely used to invest back into the business in the form of modernised stores, better shopping experiences and quality goods at competitive prices, as well as donations via the Salling Foundations.

In recent years, the Salling Foundations have donated more than DKK 850 million to the arts, culture, sport and other good causes in Denmark.

– The money that we earn in Netto, Bilka and føtex, among others, is either reinvested in the company – to the benefit of the customers – or given back to good causes in society through donations from the Salling Foundations – for the benefit of all Danes, says Per Bank, CEO of Dansk Supermarked, whose name is changing to Salling Group.

Since the first Salling store opened more than 100 years ago, the company has grown to 1,500 føtex, Bilka and Netto stores, and it is now much more than a supermarket. Today, the Danish-owned group also operates department stores and online shopping, including the online marketplace Wupti, and is active within the meal box market with Skagenfood and the restaurant market with Starbucks and Carl's Jr. in Denmark.

The name change will come into force on June 1st.

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On the name and brand identity:

The new name – Salling Group – refers partly to the company's owners, the Salling Foundations, and partly to the founders, Ferdinand and Herman Salling, who laid the ground for Salling Group.
First, Ferdinand Salling established a draper’s shop that later became the first Salling department store, then his son, Herman Salling, continued and expanded the company with føtex (1960), followed by Bilka (1970) and later Netto (1981), which today constitute the bulk of Salling Group.

The company consists of more than 1,500 stores in Sweden, Germany, Poland and Denmark. The fact that the name "Dansk Supermarked" is now giving way to Salling Group emphasises the development the company has gone through. Today, the company's activities are not only focused on supermarkets, but also e-commerce through Wupti.com, Bilka.dk, føtex.dk and salling.dk, meal boxes from Skagenfood, restaurants with the franchise chains Starbucks and Carl's Jr., and much more.

Following the name change, a new logo and brand identity will be launched on June 1st. The identity is rooted in the company and the Salling Foundations, which form the basis for the chains, and takes its point of departure in a Danish design tradition. 

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About the Salling Foundations

 The Salling Foundations consist of two separate foundations:

• Købmand Herman Sallings Fond
• Købmand Ferdinand Sallings Mindefond

The foundations are the sole owner of Salling Group and have contributed to a wide range of national and local initiatives and projects over the years for the wellness and benefit of people across the whole of Denmark. Furthermore, they have also made a number of large donations to cultural, church, sporting, educational and charitable organisations, among others. Since 2012, the Salling Foundations have donated more than DKK 850 million.

See more at: sallingfondene.dk

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Timeline:

1906: Ferdinand Salling opens the first Salling draper’s shop in Aarhus.

1948: The first part of Salling department store opens

1960: Herman Salling founds Jysk Supermarked and opens the first føtex

1964: A. P Moeller-Maersk becomes co-owner. The company changes its name to Dansk Supermarked

1970: The first Bilka opens in Tilst, Aarhus

1981: The first Netto shop opens in Copenhagen

1990: The company expands Netto into Germany and the United Kingdom

1995: Netto opens its first shops in Poland

2002: Netto opens its first shops in Sweden

2011: The company sells off all its UK shops

2014: The Salling Foundations reacquire shares and become majority owner (81%)

2017: The Salling Foundations purchase the remaining shares and become the sole owner (100%)

2018: The company changes its name to Salling Group on June 1^st

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The company in numbers:

Number of colleagues across the countries: 51,202 

Number of colleagues in terms of FTE: 26,568

Number of stores:

føtex / føtex food: 101 

Bilka:18 

Netto Denmark: 494 

Netto Germany: 347 

Netto Poland: 368 

Netto Sweden: 162 

Salling department stores: 2 

Starbucks: 16 

Carl's Jr.: 12 

Total: 1,520 

Plus 8 web shops