Clas Ohlson has opened its first store in the UK

Today, Clas Ohlson opened the doors to its first store in the UK. The store, located in Croydon in southeast London, will also be the first to feature the new Clas Ohlson store concept. Just in time for the Christmas shopping period, Clas Ohlson opened its first store outside the Nordic region. It is located in the Whitgift Shopping Centre in southeast London, which has about 26 million visitors per year. The inauguration was attended by grandchildren of the founder Clas Ohlson. Folk musicians from the district of Insjön in Sweden, playing violins and accordions, performed for the store’s first customers “Our first store in London is an important milestone in our establishment in the UK – a significant market that will create growth opportunities for many years to come. Our entry into the market means that UK consumers will gain access to our extensive and competitively priced range and friendly service in centrally located shopping centres,” says Klas Balkow, President and CEO of Clas Ohlson. The new store in Croydon is also the première for Clas Ohlson’s new store concept. Among other features, the concept entails a new store design, although the main objective is to make it easier for customers to find the product they are looking for in the extensive range comprising 10,000 -15,000 different items. The Croydon store has 1,900 square metres of retail space and is staffed by 15 permanent employees. Over a period of a few weeks in October, store personnel underwent the customary training in Insjön, Sweden, to learn more about the company’s history, corporate culture, product knowledge and approach to customer service. Photos and videos from the inauguration can be downloaded by clicking the link below: http://www.clasohlson.se/Template/Template1.aspx?id=58323223 For further information, contact: John Womack, Director of Information and Investor Relations: +46 (0)70-678 24 99