Just like Her Majesty the Queen, this year marks a big milestone for BoConcept as we gear up to also celebrate our 70th anniversary. Let’s take a look back in time and see where our story began those 70 years ago...
BoConcept was born in the hot summer of 1952 in a sleepy town in Denmark called Herning. A youthful pair of skilled and ambitious cabinet makers began their furniture business with the goal of introducing quality Danish furniture to a broader audience. The first pieces of furniture to leave the factory were cabinets made of oak veneer with a mid-section of walnut.
The furniture industry in Denmark flourished after the Second World War, a period marked by growing prosperity and a clear desire for new styles within the home. People started to recognise the importance of good design and a much wider audience began to value form as highly as functionality.
Jens Ærthøj and Tage Mølholm soon acquired a growing list of orders and took on four employees before moving into their new factory in 1954. They needed to think and invest wisely in order to keep up with the demand. At this time, the furniture industry was adapting and developing manufacturing methods that allowed greater volume production in a more affordable and efficient way. Jens and Tage needed to follow suit in order to succeed, but did not want to compromise the high standards of quality products they aspired to produce.
Meeting their growing demand while maintaining such high standards of quality requires a pioneering spirit. They would have to combine their traditional craftsmanship with Denmark’s wave of late industrialisation. Investing wisely in the right machinery would speed up production and keep costs low without compromising the quality their customers loved.
Jens and Tage, Danish designers, remained committed to the principles that have made Danish design so admired around the world. Simplicity, craftsmanship, elegant functionality, and quality materials. Their vision and pioneering spirit 70 years ago gave BoConcept the right foundation to grow from a small furniture factory to today’s global furniture chain with more than 300 successful franchised stores in more than 60 countries. Now that is worth celebrating!
If you'd like to find out more about our iconic designs, or a maybe even a showroom tour then simply get in touch with one of our design team who will be happy to help! Visit our office in our Tottenham Court Road flagship showroom, call us at 020 7383 3226, or email us at tradelondon@boconcept.co.uk to discuss how we can help you today.