JYSK (ˈjysg̊) is a Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 retail chain, selling mattresses, furniture and décor, etc. JYSK is the largest Danish retailer operating internationally, with around 1,720 JYSK-stores in 35 countries, planned to increase to at least 1,800 stores in 2010. Currently the retail chain opens 3 new stores every week somewhere in the world.

JYSK was founded by Lars Larsen, who opened the first store on Silkeborgvej in the Danish city Århus in 1979. The chain is still owned by Lars Larsen, one of the Denmark's richest people, although in some countries the chain operates on a franchise basis.

The company recently celebrated its 11th year in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 by opening a brand new megastore in London

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. The latest addition to the JYSK Family in Canada is the introduction of their E-commerce store, which has been functional since September 20, 2007.

1979-1989

• 1979: On 2 April, the world's first Jysk Sengetøjslager opens in Aarhus, Denmark, where it still operates today
• 1980: The company's first advertising supplement is released.
• 1984: Jysk Sengetøjslager opens opens the first store outside the country - Dänisches Bettenlager in Germany.
• 1986: Lars Larsen becomes partner of Himmerland Golf & Country Club.
• 1989: Jysk Sengetøjslager becomes main sponsor of the Danish Disabled Athletics Association and remains its main sponsor to this day. Later JYSK also becomes the main sponsor for disabled sports associations in Norway and Sweden. JYSK Franchise also supports disabled sport in Canada, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Faroe Islands and Iceland

1990-1999

• 1992: Jysk Sengetøjslager's two-year trainee course commences in Strandby near the Liim Fiord in Denmark. Currently, approximately 200 trainees complete the course every year.
• 1998: Lars Larsen celebrates his 50th birthday and his company is celebrating the opening of store number 500.
• 1999: Jysk Sengetøjslager co-founds the Tropical Forest Trust, which works to secure the tropical rain forests. The Trust currently has more than 80 members worldwide.

2000-2009

• 2000: Lars Larsen becomes the majority shareholder of the Internet-based furniture company www.bolia.com, which currently has showrooms in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany and China.
• 2001: The stores in Denmark, Sweden and Finland change their name from Jysk Sengetøjslager, Jysk Bäddlager and Jysk Vuodevarasto to JYSK..
• 2001: JYSK receives the Gift to the Earth award from the World Wildlife Fund for its work with the Tropical Forest Trust, which JYSK co-founded in 1999.
• 2004: JYSK celebrates its 25th anniversary, and Lars Larsen sends out 2.4 million copies of his autobiography to all Danish households.
• 2006: Lars Larsen has a street named after him.
• 2007: Lars Larsen receives King Frederik IX's Honorary Award which is presented by His Royal Highness Prince Henrik in recognition of Lars Larsen's valuable contribution to Danish export.
• 2008: JYSK Nordic opens Northern Europe's largest warehouse in Uldum in Mid-Jutland. The warehouse currently has an area of 64,000 m2.
• 2009: JYSK celebrates its 30th anniversary and launches an interactive story about the history of the company.

2010-

• 2010: JYSK is granted the title of Purveyor of Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark.
• 2010: JYSK’s staff magazine 'GO JYSK' wins several awards - as staff magazine 2010 in Denmark and as the second best staff magazine in Europe.
• 2011: JYSK launched its own TV-channel on www.JYSK.tv.
• 2011: Lars Larsen was ranked as the 304th richest person in the world, in the American business magazine; Forbes, which calculates Lars Larsen's assets to $ 3.6 billion.

Countries

Country	Opening year	Number	Note
Denmark	1979	94
Germany	1984	824	Dänisches Bettenlager
Greenland	1984	7	Franchise, Pisiffik
Faroe Islands	1986	1	Franchise, Skemman
Iceland	1987	4	Franchise, Rúmfatalagerinn
Norway	1988	72
Sweden	1991	122
Finland	1995	59
Canada	1996	46	Franchise
Latvia	1996	9	Franchise
Poland	2000	133
Austria	2000	78	Dänisches Bettenlager
Lithuania	2001	10	Franchise
Estonia	2002	6	Franchise
Czech Republic	2003	57
Ukraine	2004	10	Franchise
Republic of Kosovo	2004	1	Franchise
Hungary	2005	67
Kingdom of Bulgaria	2005	3	Franchise
Switzerland	2006	32
Netherlands	2006	51
Slovakia	2006	29
Kazakhstan	2006	1	Franchise
Kingdom of Romania	2007	14	Franchise
Early Modern France	2007	29
Albania	2007	1	Franchise
Republic of Macedonia	2008	1	Franchise
United Kingdom	2008	5
Slovenia	2008	16
Independent State of Croatia	2009	22
Italy	2009	19
Spain	2009	25
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2010	11
Mainland China	2010	9
Serbia	2011	6

External links

• JYSK Canada Online Store
• JYSK Global portal
• JYSK Serbia
• JYSK corporate brochure