Åhléns

Åhléns is a Swedish department store chain. Johan Petter Åhlén and Erik Holm founded it in 1899 in Insjön in Dalarna as the mail-order company Åhlén & Holm. In 1932 the company opened Sweden's first "Tempo" variety department store, and in 1964 the Åhléns City store in Stockholm followed.

Range

• Fashion, beauty, home and everyday goods in department stores across Sweden and online at ahlens.se
• Services in selected stores, including tailoring, shoe repair, hairdresser, beauty care, cafés and restaurants
• The subsidiaries Åhléns Outlet and Designtorget

Where to find it

The company turns over SEK 4.3 billion and welcomes about 60 million visitors a year with around 3,000 employees (company website, 2026). In 2024 it opened stores in Mora, Skärholmen and Västerås, and in 2025 in Trollhättan.

Ownership

Åhléns belonged to Axel Johnson AB from 1988. The company's own page now names Ayad Al-Saffar as the main owner and CEO. Swedish business press describes Al-Saffar as the new owner and CEO. He is an entrepreneur based in Sweden, so no non-European parent is involved.