The architect Jerry Hellström had been working for some time as a consultant on various projects at Stockholm´s Kulturhuset (The Culture House). In 1993 Kulturhuset asked him if he had any idea about what to do with a large space on the ground floor of their building, which had been empty for some time. This was at a time of recession in the Swedish economy, and lots of designers and inventors were unemployed. Jerry began to think about creating a marketplace for them and their products. DesignTorget was born and in the early days the products were delivered and sold on loading pallets, which were placed around in the shop. John Hamberg, who already owned a shop and was a man of many talents liked the idea and soon became a partner in the business.

Over the past years, the company has grown and grown and we now have 17 shops in Sweden and in Oslo. And we also have a webshop. DesignTorget´s concept has become well established especially among those interested in design, interior design or just when you want to find a unique gift for someone special. For a brief period towards the end of the 1990s DesignTorget opened up a shop for fashion and clothes. It was later sold and DesignTorget returned to its origins: providing great products in the areas it knows best such as interior design, kitchen utensils, designed toys, coffee table books and so on. DesignTorget has participated in many projects, big and small. For example, we handpicked and delivered presents when Sweden assumed the presidency of the EU, The Stockholm 750 year jubilee, as well as for various hotels, home and furniture fairs.

Even today a selection committee within the company picks out products every week to be sold in the shops for a limited period. We want to be the first to be able to offer exclusive products to our customers. This process and our close co-operation with design schools such as Konstfack, Beckmans, HDK and other well established design schools, has created something unique within Swedish retail, and has contributed to creating DesignTorget´s strong and successful brand.

DesignTorget´s founding owners, Jerry and John, have handed over the company and it is now wholly owned by Novax, part of the well-established Axel Johnson group. The new ownership has given DesignTorget a stronger financial position and a stable owner that can provide both money and expertise to expand the company further. DesignTorget aims to continue to open new shops in the coming years.
For more detailed information on our history, please download our brochure in pdf format. This was produced for our tenth anniversary as a company.

For more information about DesignTorget please download our buisness to buisness folder.