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Draft:Junkyard (retail)

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Junkyard is a clothing chain and e-commerce company owned by the Norwegian Varner Group. The chain started as a small skate and snowboard shop in Trollhättan, Sweden, in 1997. The focus has always been on board sports and streetwear, and between 2004 and 2012, the free festival Junkfest was organized outside the store located at Norra Överby, Trollhättan, Sweden.

Countries with Stores

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Country Number of Stores
 Norway 24
 Sweden 5
Total 29

History

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The first store was opened in 1997 in Trollhättan, Sweden, by the multi-entrepreneur Thomas Hjert Löfgren, and it was then known as ProStuff.[1]. It was the first franchise of the ProStuff chain outside Gothenburg. In 2002, when the company launched its e-commerce site, the name was changed to Junkyard along with the slogan: Always online - never inline. The slogan conveys two things at the same time: the first is that the e-commerce site is always available and that you don't have to stand in line, while the second, more hidden, meaning is that skateboarders don't like inline skates, and Junkyard would never sell inline skates. As of 2024, Junkyard has still never sold inline skates.

The name Junkyard comes from a Burton Snowskate that was displayed in the storefront of the ProStuff / Junkyard store on Kungsgatan in central Trollhättan. Thomas had been searching for a better name for a while, and when he saw the board, it clicked. Later that same evening, he registered the domain junkyard.se[2].

The e-commerce initiative launched in 2002 was successful, and in the following years, Junkyard expanded into Norway (2008) and later into Denmark, Finland, France, and Germany. Physical stores exist only in Sweden and Norway. In 2020, Junkyard purchased its competitor Chris Hollywood AB and took over the Hollywood stores in Gothenburg and Stockholm[3].

After a snow-poor snowboard season in 2012, fashion investor Paul Frankenius from Borås became a part-owner of Junkyard. In 2013, Thomas Hjert Löfgren stepped down as CEO of Junkyard and became CEO of his own brand Sweet SKTBS, and in 2014, he sold his remaining shares and left the company entirely. In 2018, Junkyard was acquired by the Norwegian Varner Group, and in 2022, the Junkyard office was moved from Sweden to Norway[4]

Own Brands

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The first own clothing brand, Sweet SKTBS, was established as early as 1999. When the name was later changed to Junkyard, they also started selling clothing and skateboard hardware under their own name. Junkyard has since launched more own brands.

References

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References

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Category:Clothing companies of Norway Category:Retail companies of Norway Category:Clothing companies of Sweden Category:Retail companies of Sweden