Gekås
Gekås i Ullared AB is a Swedish superstore in Ullared, Sweden, founded in 1963 by Göran Karlsson as Ge-kås Manufaktur. It has an annual turnover of 3,800,000,000 Swedish kronor (2010),[1], with a total store area of over 20,000 m2 in addition to a 50,000 m2 storage area just a few hundred yards away. Boris Lennerhov is the current CEO. The store is visited annually by approximately 3,700,000 customers,[2] with the 2007 record of 26,200 for a single day, and the average customer travelling 150 km to get to the store. The store has recently opened a camping ground and a motel to accommodate long distance travellers. It has been known for avoiding conventional advertising, instead relying on word of mouth. For three years starting 2011, a reality television series, Ullared, was filmed in and around the store. It aired in both Norway and Sweden.
History
- 1963: Store founded in Ullared by Göran Karlsson
- 1967: The store moves to a bigger building.
- 1971: The store changes location again, to its current location
- 1991 Göran Karlsson sells the company to six employees.
- 2003 The market court forbids Göran Karlsson, who had started a competing business, to use the word "Ullared" in their marketing.[3]
References
- ^ Reported turnover
- ^ Om Gekås Ullared / Roliga siffror
- ^ Dom i Marknadsdomstolen
Sources
- Ullared - byn som blev ett varumärke, Torsten Andersson. 2003. Falkenberg: Ge-kås Ullared AB. ISBN 91-631-3660-0
Literature
- Persson, Anders (1982). Ge-Kåskonflikten - och sedan? : rapport från en kartläggning av konflikten mellan Handelsanställdas förbund och lågprisvaruhuset Ge-Kås i Ullared. GraphicSystems.
- Håkansson, Annlouise (2003). Att fånga tiden : dokumentation av Ge-kås i Ullared år 2002. Länsmuseet Halmstad.
External links