Åhléns was losing money for over a decade. Today, it’s profitable, three years in a row. 

In this episode of Inside the Creator Economy, we sit down with Thomas Engelhart, Chief Strategy, Customer & Marketing Officer at Åhléns, to unpack one of the most impressive retail turnarounds in the Nordics. 

This isn’t a surface-level transformation story. It’s a conversation about what actually happens when a 126-year-old heritage brand decides to rethink how it operates, without losing its identity. 

We dive into: 

• How entrepreneurial leadership and a radical shift in pace turned strategy into execution – and made profitability possible again. 
• Why Åhléns chose to double down on physical retail, service and private labels, while building new revenue streams like retail media and wholesale 
• And how they evolved the brand, dialing down “premium” to reconnect with their roots, strengthen loyalty and stay relevant for a new generation 

At the heart of it all lies a fundamental question: How do you evolve to stay modern, without becoming someone you’re not?