Jysk


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.

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.
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 died 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.
CountrySinceStoresEntity
Germany1984943Jysk
Poland2000313Jysk
Romania2006144Jysk
Sweden1991159Jysk
Denmark1979116Jysk
Netherlands2006105Jysk
Norway1988108Jysk
Czech Republic2003104Jysk
Finland199594Jysk
Austria200092Jysk
Hungary200599Jysk
Spain2009146Jysk
Ukraine2004100Jysk
Switzerland200671Jysk
Italy200992Jysk
Canada199668Jysk Franchise
France200773Jysk
Slovakia200650Jysk
Croatia200963Jysk
Greece201564Jysk
Bulgaria200556Jysk
Serbia201147Jysk
Belgium201763Jysk
Bosnia and Herzegovina201031Jysk
United Kingdom200828Jysk
Slovenia200826Jysk
Portugal201029Jysk
Indonesia201414Jysk Franchise
Lithuania200115Jysk Franchise
Vietnam201514Jysk Franchise
Estonia200214Jysk Franchise
Latvia200114Jysk Franchise
Ireland201925Jysk
Kosovo200410Jysk Franchise
Belarus201610Jysk Franchise
Thailand201810Jysk Franchise
Moldova201616Jysk Franchise
Azerbaijan201913Jysk Franchise
Iceland19877Jysk Franchise
Greenland19846Jysk Franchise
Albania20156Jysk Franchise
Georgia20168Jysk Franchise
United Arab Emirates20185Jysk Franchise
Turkey20239Jysk
North Macedonia20084Jysk Franchise
Montenegro20152Jysk Franchise
Kuwait20174Jysk Franchise
Malta20162Jysk Franchise
Tajikistan20165Jysk Franchise
Armenia20132Jysk Franchise
Morocco20252Jysk
Faroe Islands19861Jysk Franchise
Uruguay20251Jysk Franchise