Dansk Supermarked, which operates the føtex and Bilka chains in Denmark and the Netto banner across four European countries, is changing its name to Salling Group from 1 June.
The new name refers partly to the company's owner, the Salling Foundation, and partly to its founders, Ferdinand and Herman Salling, who commenced retailing under the name in 1906.
The Salling Foundation reacquired Dansk Supermarked Group in 2017, and, as co-owner, the decision has been made to change its name.
'Returning To Our Roots'
"With Salling Group, we are returning to our roots in many ways, and paying tribute to our origins," said Bjerg Sørensen, chair of Købmand Herman Sallings Fond, one of two groups that form the Salling Foundation.
"We are proud of what Ferdinand and, not least, Herman Salling created, and we are now carrying this forward even clearer in the Salling name, with the ambition of ensuring a leading, long-term and viable Danish retail business," Sørensen added.
Following the name change, a new logo and brand identity will be launched on 1 June.
Salling Group said that company profits will be solely used to invest back into the business, in the form of 'modernised stores, better shopping experiences, and quality goods at competitive prices', as well as donations to the arts, culture and sport in Denmark.
Investment
"The money that we earn in Netto, Bilka and føtex, among others, is either reinvested in the company – to the benefit of the customers – or given back to good causes in society through donations from the Salling Foundations – for the benefit of all Danes," said Per Bank, CEO of Dansk Supermarked.
The Dansk Supermarked operation incorporates some 1,520 outlets, including 101 føtex/føtex food stores, 18 Bilka outlets, 494 Netto Denmark stores, 347 Netto Germany stores, 368 Netto Poland stores, and 162 Netto Sweden stores.
In 1906, Ferdinand Salling established a draper’s shop that later became the first Salling department store. Then his son, Herman Salling, continued and expanded the company with føtex (1960), followed by Bilka (1970) and later Netto (1981), which today constitute the bulk of Salling Group.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
