History

Axfood

Axfood has its roots in the formation of D&D Dagligvaror in 1999. The intention behind merging D-gruppen and Dagab into D&D was to create a new consumer-oriented food retailer.

Axfood was established in 2000 through the merger of Hemköp and D&D Dagligvaror and through the acquisition of Spar Inn Snabbgross, Spar Sverige and Spar Finland. Hemköp’s listing on the Stockholm Stock Exchange was taken over. Axfood started consolidating its business, resulting in the companies Willys, Hemköp, Axfood Närlivs and Dagab. In 2003 Willys and Hemköp gained their own private labels under a separate name and launched their own special non-food products.

Spar Finland was sold off in 2006 and the Stockholm chain PrisXtra was acquired in 2008. The private label Garant Ekologiska organic range was launched in 2008 and Fairtrade private label products were launched in 2009 under the name Aware. The new group private label Garant was also launched in 2009. In 2010 Axfood presented a sustainability programme and joined Diversity Charter Sweden.  

Hemköp

‘Spik-Olle’ opened his first Hemköp store in 1952. It was then taken over by Sam Hedenius AB in 1962. 1982 saw the formation of Hemköpskedjan AB under new owners Carnegie AB. In 1988, Axel Johnson AB bought the retail business from Carnegie, becoming the owner of such names as Hemköp, Dagab and Åhléns. The Hemköp chain became part of Axfood when the company was formed in 2000, with Axfood taking on Hemköp’s stock exchange listing. Hemköp’s health focus developed over the next few years. The healthy product series Hemköps Nyttiga was introduced in 2003.

In 2004, Hemköp, Spar and Billhälls stores were brought together under the Hemköp brand, which is made up of its own and proprietor-run stores. 2007 saw the launch of a new loyalty card offering a bonus of up to 2 percent on purchases. The target of 300,000 cardholders was reached in 2009.

Willys

In 1975, LL:s Livs opened in Hisingen, Gothenburg, with the business concept of selling food more cheaply than anyone else. The concept enjoyed strong growth in western Sweden in the 1980s and a number of discount stores opened, including Willys Cash in Kungsbacka which focused on selling food more cheaply than LL:s Livs. In 1989, LL:s Livs was taken over by Detaljinvest AB, which also acquired competitor Willys Cash in 1994.

Axfood was formed in 2000 and conversion of the stores to the Willys concept commenced in 2001. 2002 saw 30 HP Billigt & Nära stores transformed into Willys Hemma, Willys’ urban concept. Willys opened its 100th store in Skene in 2005. Willys had grown from 12 to 100 stores in a matter of just six years. In 2008, a new store concept was introduced, the next generation of Willys. In 2010 all Willys stores were ecolabelled with the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation’s “Good Environmental
Choice”.

PrisXtra

PrisXtra emerged in the Stockholm region in the 1990s under the leadership of food retailer Rudolf Lundin. Rudolf Lundin opened the doors to the first PrisXtra store in Stockholm in 1991. Axfood acquired PrisXtra in 2008 and integration started. A new store opened on Fridhemsplan in 2008.

 

Axfood Närlivs

The roots of Axfood Närlivs stretch back to the formation of Dagab in 1975 but particularly to 1987, when Dagab Snabbgross opened its doors. With the conversion of Dagab Servicehandel in 1997, the company started taking on the shape it has today, with an increased focus on convenience retailers. In 1999, the company was incorporated within D&D, later to become Axfood, which led to Dagab Närlivs changing its name to Axfood Närlivs. A new concept for pick & mix sweets, Smått&Gott, was launched in 2002. Axfood Närlivs’ private label products were launched in 2003 under the name Godegården. In 2004, Axfood and Direktenbutikerna formed a new store profile under the name Direkten. 2005 saw 40 of the smaller Spar stores converted into Tempo stores. NetXtra, Axfood’s e-commerce business is from 2010 handled by Axfood Närlivs. 

Dagab

1973 saw the signing of the Saba-Dagab agreement, which involved Vivo, Favör and Åhlén & Holm joining up with Dagab. The critical step in Dagab’s formation was taken when J S Saba AB bought up a majority share in Dagab. In 1976, ASK ceased and was instead launched as a subsidiary of Dagab. Dagab Mid Sweden was formed in 1975 following a merger with J S Saba and the acquisition of the majority of wholesalers in Sweden.

In the 1970s and 1980s there were further acquisitions, for example of LL:s Livs (later Willys) and the Vivo-Favör organisation, plus Ce-Jis Kolonial, which in 1982 gave Dagab nationwide coverage. Axel Johnson AB became the new owner in 1988. In 2000, Axfood and Dagab became wholly owned subsidiaries of Axfood AB. Autoorder was introduced in 2009 to make goods flows to the stores more efficient. A number of initiatives were taken in 2010 to strengthen Dagab’s environmental profile. 

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