Fællesforeningen for Danmarks Brugsforeninger

FDB

File:Faellesforeningen for Danmarks Brugsforeninger (logo).jpg
Industry	Retail Management Advertising Management Property Management
Predecessor	Cooperative associations in Jutland & Zealand
Founded	1896
Headquarters	Copenhagen, Denmark
Area served	Denmark
Key people	Thomas Olesen (Adm. Director)
Revenue	DKK 39.6 billion
Net income	DKK 520 million
Number of employees	50 (FDB proper) 36,591 (Coop)
Subsidiaries	Coop Danmark A/S Republica A/S Severin Kursuscenter A/S FDB Ejendomme A/S
Website	fdb.dk
Footnotes / references (2011)

FDB (Danish: Fællesforeningen for Danmarks Brugsforeninger, "Danish Consumers Cooperative Society") is a cooperative based in Denmark. In 2011, the coop had over 1.6 million members out of a Danish population of 5.5 million, 1.1 million of whom used active accounts and 3,400 of whom were involved in the cooperative's decision making.

History

An association of cooperatives formed in Zealand in 1884 was first named the Fællesforeningen for Danmarks Brugsforeninger, but the present FDB was founded in 1896 from a merger between that association and the cooperative association for Jutland. In 1897, it began forming its own factories and brands, some of which – like Cirkel-brand coffee – continue to be successful although most were shuttered in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1918, it helped form the NAF (Nordisk Andels Forbund, "Nordic Coop Federation") which later became Coop Norden AB. In 1952, it opened the first viable supermarket in the Faroes at Thorshavn.

FDB originally focused on manufacturing and wholesaling, branding its retail operations simply "Brugsen" ("Coop"). In 1961, it opened the Kvickly chain in Aalborg, which sold clothes and hardware in addition to food. It merged with the large HB supermarket chain in 1971 and opened the discount OBS! chain in 1972 at Høje Tåstrup. By the 1980s, the company began shuttering its factories and focusing more on retail operations. It purchased Irma in 1982 and Fakta in 1987. Between 1991 and 1995, it rebranded its own stores as the SuperBrugsen supermarkets, the Dagli'Brugsen local markets, and the LokalBrugsen convenience stores.

All of these outlets were placed under Coop Denmark in 2001 in preparation for the 2002 union of its operations with those of Norway's NKL and Sweden's KF as Coop Norden. FDB held a 38% stake in the new unitary company, but its poor performance caused the parent companies to redivide its operations by 2008. FDB continued to organize its retailers under the Coop Denmark heading, which now holds a one-third interest in Coop Norden's purchasing-agent successor Coop Trading A/S.

Subsidiaries

FDB wholly owns Severin Kursuscenter A/S, a training center, and FDB Ejendomme A/S, its real estate management company. Through two separate holding companies, it also wholly owns Republica A/S and Coop Danmark A/S.

Coop Denmark

Coop Danmark A/S is Denmark's largest supermarket conglomerate, with DKK 39.6 billion in revenue and DKK 520 million in profit during fiscal 2011. Its operating divisions are SuperBrugsen (2011 revenue: DKK 13.6b), Kvickly (DKK 9.5b), and Dagli'Brugsen and LokalBrugsen (DKK 7.0b). The company is also beginning to open convenience stores under the brand C. Its wholly owned subsidiaries are Fakta A/S (DKK 9.4b) and Irma A/S (DKK 2.3b). It has a one-third stake in Coop Trading A/S.

Republica

Republica A/S is an advertising company focused on retail sales. It has been negatively affected by the economy, but posted a before-tax profit of DKK 5.4 million in 2011 owing to relocation of production to Bangladesh.

Severin

Severin Kursuscenter A/S is a training center first built in 1932. It posted pre-tax earnings of DKK 2.2 million in 2011.

FDB Property

FDB Ejendomme A/S was established as a separate company in 2011. Its earnings were DKK 32.6 million in 2011.

See also

• List of cooperatives

External links

• FDB, official website