/ Åhléns

From problem-solver
to inspiration

Founded in 1899, Åhléns is Sweden’s oldest department store. What started out as a small mail order business is now one of the largest retail chains in the country – with some 80 million customer interactions annually.

Direction

To Åhléns’ urbane and socially conscious patrons, shopping and sustainability are not contradictions. Inspiration and trends do not equate to use and discard. Premium can be inexpensive and cheap doesn’t necessarily mean a drop in quality. To stay relevant, Åhléns has to re-establish itself as a modern department store, stocked with carefully selected items that can be combined across brands and price categories. And it must communicate its offering and core values in a fresh way.

Small adjustments,
big difference.

Creation

The updated visual identity provides the flexibility needed for high impact at every touchpoint – both on- and offline – with the typography lending character and style. The single red brand colour has become a lively palette of shades. A new emblem, based on the logo, adds dynamism, hinting at the store’s wide assortment. By zooming in on it, a wondrous world of new patterns emerges.

Interior design in collaboration with Code Concept.

Activation

The result is a powerful, singular design – dynamic and inspirational, but without losing any of the brand’s famed accessibility. You never quite know what’s in store when you step into Åhléns.