Is Salling a Danish brand?

Yes. Salling originated in Aarhus, Denmark, where Ferdinand Salling opened a draper’s shop in 1906. Salling’s department stores are located in Aarhus and Aalborg.

Who owns Salling Group?

Salling Group is wholly owned by Købmand Herman Sallings Fond and Købmand Ferdinand Sallings Mindefond, together known as the Salling Foundations. Salling is ultimately attributed to Købmand Herman Sallings Fond through the ownership chain recorded by Made O’Meter.

How many Salling department stores are there?

Salling has department stores in Aarhus and Aalborg. The brand historically also had a smaller store in Copenhagen.

How many people work for Salling Group?

Salling Group had around 70,000 employees across its markets in 2025. Salling itself employs more than 1,100 people.

What does Salling sell?

Salling sells fashion, lifestyle products, interior goods, personal care products, food and other consumer merchandise. Customers can shop in the Aarhus and Aalborg stores and through salling.dk.

When was the first Salling store opened?

Ferdinand Salling opened the original draper’s shop in Aarhus in 1906. The first part of the Salling department store opened in Aarhus in 1948.

Who owns Salling?

Salling

Ultimate ownerDenmarkKøbmand Herman Sallings Fond

Brand origin: Denmark
Main production: Several countries, incl. Denmark

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Ownership chain

BrandSallingDenmark
Salling Group A/S
F. Salling Invest A/S
Ultimate ownerKøbmand Herman Sallings FondDenmark

About Salling

What is Salling?

Salling is a Danish department-store brand with stores in Aarhus and Aalborg. Salling sells fashion, lifestyle products, interior goods, personal care products, food and other consumer goods. Salling also operates online retail and rooftop venues connected with its department stores. Salling is part of Salling Group A/S, the Danish retail group that also operates Netto, føtex, Bilka, BR and other retail businesses. Salling’s stores are located in Aarhus and Aalborg. The Aarhus store is the original Salling location, while the Aalborg store opened in 1964. Salling Aarhus receives approximately six million customers annually. Salling employs more than 1,100 people and is part of the wider Salling Group retail organisation. Salling Group’s headquarters are in Brabrand, near Aarhus, Denmark. Salling’s official website is salling.dk.

Who owns Salling?

Salling is ultimately owned by Købmand Herman Sallings Fond, according to Made O’Meter’s ownership data verified on 13 September 2026. The ownership chain is Salling, then Salling Group A/S, then F. Salling Invest A/S, and finally Købmand Herman Sallings Fond. Salling Group A/S is wholly owned by Købmand Herman Sallings Fond and Købmand Ferdinand Sallings Mindefond. Together, these two foundations are known as the Salling Foundations. The ultimate ownership type is foundation-owned. The Salling Foundations acquired a 49% interest from A.P. Møller-Mærsk in January 2014. This gave the foundations an 81% majority ownership of the group. In November 2017, the foundations acquired the remaining 19% and became the group’s 100% owners. Dansk Supermarked changed its name to Salling Group on 1 June 2018 to mark the foundations’ full reacquisition of the company. The foundations’ ownership structure means that Salling Group’s profits are used for investment in the business and donations through the Salling Foundations.

Where does Salling come from?

Salling originated in Aarhus, Denmark, where Ferdinand Salling opened a draper’s shop on Søndergade in 1906. The shop established the business that later became the Salling department-store brand. The first month generated turnover of 4,202 Danish kroner. Ferdinand Salling expanded the shop in 1915, nine years after opening it. He continued acquiring nearby properties as he developed plans for a larger department store. The first part of Salling department store opened in Aarhus in 1948. The business became the limited company F. Salling Stormagasin A/S in 1949. Ferdinand Salling died in 1953. His 34-year-old son, Herman Salling, then assumed responsibility for the company. Herman Salling continued expanding the department-store business and opened the first Salling store in Aalborg in 1964. Salling’s history is closely connected with the origins of Salling Group. Herman Salling founded Jysk Supermarked in 1960 and opened the first føtex store in the same year. The first føtex opened on Guldsmedgade in Aarhus. In 1964, A.P. Møller-Mærsk acquired a 50% ownership interest in Jysk Supermarked, and the company changed its name to Dansk Supermarked. The first Bilka store opened in Tilst near Aarhus in 1970. The first Netto store opened in Copenhagen in 1981. A.P. Møller-Mærsk increased its ownership stake in Dansk Supermarked to 68% in 1982 by buying shares inherited by Herman Salling’s sister, Inger. Netto expanded from Denmark into Germany and the United Kingdom in 1990. Netto opened its first stores in Poland in 1995 and Sweden in 2002. The group sold all of its stores in the United Kingdom in 2011. Salling Group bought Tesco’s Polish business in 2020 for 1.5 billion Danish kroner, which was described as the group’s largest investment at that time.

What products does Salling sell?

Salling sells fashion, lifestyle goods, interior products, personal care products, food and other consumer merchandise. The department stores carry products from international and Danish brands across these categories. Salling’s food assortment includes groceries, prepared foods and other food products. The stores also include non-food departments covering clothing, accessories, beauty, home products and lifestyle merchandise. The exact assortment varies by store and sales channel. Salling also offers online shopping through salling.dk. The department-store business combines physical stores in Aarhus and Aalborg with online retail. Salling’s rooftop venues are associated with the department stores and form part of the customer facilities in Aarhus and Aalborg.

Which brands are owned by Salling Group?

Salling Group owns and operates Salling department stores, Netto, føtex, Bilka and BR. Netto operates in Denmark, Poland and Germany. Føtex, Bilka, Salling department stores and BR operate in Denmark. Salling Group also owns and operates Rimi in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In Denmark, Salling Group operates franchise businesses including Starbucks, Carl’s Jr. and HUGO BOSS. The group’s retail portfolio also includes associated online stores and other businesses. Salling is the department-store brand within this portfolio. The group’s other major retail banners serve different parts of the market, including discount groceries through Netto, supermarkets and food-led stores through føtex, hypermarkets through Bilka and toys through BR.

What is Salling Group?

Salling Group is a Danish retail group that developed from Ferdinand Salling’s 1906 draper’s shop in Aarhus. The group operates grocery stores, department stores, discount stores, toy stores, online shops and franchise businesses. Salling Group operates in Denmark, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Its banners include Netto, føtex, Bilka, Salling, BR and Rimi. The group also operates selected franchise concepts in Denmark, including Starbucks, Carl’s Jr. and HUGO BOSS. Salling Group changed its name from Dansk Supermarked Group to Salling Group on 1 June 2018. The name change followed the Salling Foundations’ acquisition of full ownership in November 2017. Salling Group reported revenue of 83.168 billion Danish kroner for 2025. The group reported EBITDA of 6.445 billion Danish kroner, EBIT of 3.245 billion Danish kroner and a net result of 1.990 billion Danish kroner for 2025. Salling Group had around 70,000 employees in 2025 and more than 2,100 stores and other retail locations across its markets at the end of 2025. The group’s official headquarters are at Rosbjergvej 33, 8220 Brabrand, Denmark.

How many employees does Salling Group have?

Salling Group had around 70,000 employees across its markets in 2025. The figure covers employees in Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Salling itself employs more than 1,100 people. These employees work within the Salling department-store business, which includes the stores in Aarhus and Aalborg and the related online activities. Employee figures for Salling and Salling Group are different because Salling is one business within the larger retail group. Salling Group’s total workforce also includes employees working for Netto, føtex, Bilka, BR, Rimi and the group’s other operations.

What is Salling Rooftop Aarhus?

Salling Rooftop Aarhus is a rooftop venue connected with Salling’s department store in Aarhus. It forms part of the Salling store experience alongside the department store’s retail departments and food facilities. Salling also has a rooftop venue associated with its Aalborg department store. The rooftop locations are part of Salling’s physical retail properties and are separate from the ownership structure of the department-store brand itself. The Aarhus department store is Salling’s original location. Salling began in Aarhus in 1906, and the city remains the historic centre of the brand.

Where can shoppers find Salling stores?

Shoppers can find Salling department stores in Aarhus and Aalborg, Denmark. The Aarhus store is in central Aarhus, and the Aalborg store is in central Aalborg. Salling historically also had a smaller store in Copenhagen, but the current department-store locations identified for Salling are Aarhus and Aalborg. Salling also serves customers through its online store at salling.dk. The two department stores offer fashion, lifestyle, interior, personal care and food products. Their assortments and services can vary by location.

How has Salling’s ownership changed?

Salling became part of the corporate group that developed into Salling Group, while ownership of the wider group changed from the Salling family and A.P. Møller-Mærsk to the Salling Foundations. Herman Salling founded Jysk Supermarked in 1960. A.P. Møller-Mærsk acquired 50% of Jysk Supermarked in 1964, and the company became Dansk Supermarked. A.P. Møller-Mærsk increased its holding to 68% in 1982. The Salling Foundations began regaining control in January 2014, when they acquired 49% of A.P. Møller-Mærsk’s shares. The foundations then held 81% of the group. In November 2017, they bought the remaining 19% and became the 100% owners. The group adopted the Salling Group name on 1 June 2018. Salling Group is now owned by Købmand Herman Sallings Fond and Købmand Ferdinand Sallings Mindefond.

Frequently asked questions about Salling

Is Salling a Danish brand?: Yes. Salling originated in Aarhus, Denmark, where Ferdinand Salling opened a draper’s shop in 1906. Salling’s department stores are located in Aarhus and Aalborg.
Who owns Salling Group?: Salling Group is wholly owned by Købmand Herman Sallings Fond and Købmand Ferdinand Sallings Mindefond, together known as the Salling Foundations. Salling is ultimately attributed to Købmand Herman Sallings Fond through the ownership chain recorded by Made O’Meter.
Which stores belong to Salling Group?: Salling Group owns and operates Salling, Netto, føtex, Bilka, BR and Rimi. The group also operates selected franchise businesses, including Starbucks, Carl’s Jr. and HUGO BOSS in Denmark.
How many Salling department stores are there?: Salling has department stores in Aarhus and Aalborg. The brand historically also had a smaller store in Copenhagen.
How many people work for Salling Group?: Salling Group had around 70,000 employees across its markets in 2025. Salling itself employs more than 1,100 people.
What does Salling sell?: Salling sells fashion, lifestyle products, interior goods, personal care products, food and other consumer merchandise. Customers can shop in the Aarhus and Aalborg stores and through salling.dk.
When was the first Salling store opened?: Ferdinand Salling opened the original draper’s shop in Aarhus in 1906. The first part of the Salling department store opened in Aarhus in 1948.
Is Salling connected to Netto and føtex?: Yes. Salling, Netto and føtex are all part of Salling Group. Herman Salling founded Jysk Supermarked in 1960, and the first føtex store opened that year.