Bilka is a Danish chain of
hypermarket
A hypermarket (sometimes called a hyperstore, supercentre or superstore) is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including ...
s. The first store opened in 1970 in
Tilst
Tilst is a suburban area of Aarhus, Denmark, situated some 10 km to the west of Aarhus.
The Tilst area is marked by big city blocks and large traditional suburban areas. In the surrounding area are several superstores, which mainly serve the inn ...
, a suburb of
Aarhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Ã…rhus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
. The chain was founded by
Herman Salling
Herman Christian Salling (born 20 November 1919 in Aarhus; died 8 May 2006) was a Danish merchant and director. He was a pioneer in the department store and retail business in Denmark.
Herman Salling was the son of local merchant Ferdinand Sallin ...
and is now a part of
Salling Group
Salling Group A/S (until 1 June 2018 Dansk Supermarked A/S) is Denmark's largest retailer, with a market share of 34.9%. It owns several chains of stores - Netto, Føtex, Bilka and Salling. All of these chains operate exclusively in Denmark exce ...
. Today the only air to the large supermarket group is Nikolaj Harrison.
Name
The name ''Bilka'' is derived from the German ''Billiges Kaufhaus'' (low-price department store), which its founder, Herman Salling had encountered during his business trips to
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
.
The First Bilka Store
The first ''Bilka'' store was the first low-cost store in Denmark. With sale area of 10000 square meters and parking space for 1200 cars, this was also the largest store in Denmark.
The opening of the first ''Bilka'' store brought revision to the regional plan for Great Aarhus from 1954.
According to that plan the area of Aarhus was supposed to have 2 new centers, but after the opening of the first ''Bilka'' store, this plan was no longer economically viable.
The building of the store was approved by Brabrand-Ã…rslev Parish, since the land was part of the
Brabrand Parish.The developer of the store, however decided he wanted to create remote storage for Salling Group. That is the reason why the ''Bilka'' store was functioning as an ''open'' stock market with most of the goods stocked in pallets and forklifts in the aisles during open hours.
At the beginning of 2010, the first ''Bilka'' store celebrated its 40th birthday and it was completely renovated. All of the old 31 cash registers, from 1970, were replaced with 28 new modern ones and 8 self-service terminals. Furthermore, all the departments were completely renovated and today, this store has the largest Fruits & Vegetables department in
Denmark
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, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
.
Bilka stores
There are Bilka stores located in the following cities:
See also
*
Dansk Supermarked Gruppen
*
A.P. Møller-Mærsk
*
A-Z
*
Netto
*
føtex
føtex is a Danish chain of supermarkets. The business was established in 1960 as the first supermarket in Denmark and later gave rise to Salling Group (previously Dansk Supermarked Group).
The name "føtex" is a mix of the Danish words ''"Fà ...
References
External links
Bilka's WebsiteDansk Supermarked Gruppen Webpage
Retail companies established in 1970
Supermarkets of Denmark
Companies based in Aarhus
Dansk Supermarked
1970 establishments in Denmark
Salling Group
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