History
In 1989, The Baugur Group was started by the opening of a single 'Bónus' supermarket in Reykjavík by Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson and his father, Jóhannes Jónsson. The company grew quickly and within three years was operating several supermarkets in Iceland. In 1992, the owners of Hagkaup, the leading domestic retailer, acquired 50% of shares in Bonus. In 1993, Hagkaup and Bónus established a joint purchasing company named Baugur.
Hagkaup was established over 50 years ago and, as a retailing pioneer, opened both supermarkets and department stores in Iceland. Hagkaup and Bonus merged as Baugur in 1998 and Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson became the company's President and CEO. Baugur was listed on Iceland Stock Exchange the same year.
In 1999, Baugur signed franchise agreements with The Arcadia Group and Debenhams for Scandinavia and today Hagar, (formerly Baugur-Iceland) runs several Topshop and Miss Selfridge stores in Iceland and Sweden as well as three Debenhams stores.
The Baugur Group has experienced rapid growth in recent years, and at the end of 2003, became the largest privately owned Icelandic company, as well as the most internationally diverse.
Read more about this topic: Baugur Group
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of his present majesty, is a history of unremitting injuries and usurpations ... all of which have in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world, for the truth of which we pledge a faith yet unsullied by falsehood.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“The history of modern art is also the history of the progressive loss of art’s audience. Art has increasingly become the concern of the artist and the bafflement of the public.”
—Henry Geldzahler (1935–1994)
“I cannot be much pleased without an appearance of truth; at least of possibility—I wish the history to be natural though the sentiments are refined; and the characters to be probable, though their behaviour is excelling.”
—Frances Burney (1752–1840)