Magasin du Nord
A Danish department-store chain with a flagship location on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Magasin du Nord is a Danish department-store retailer whose principal store occupies a prominent historic building on Kongens Nytorv in central Copenhagen. The chain sells a broad assortment associated with the department-store format, including fashion, beauty, home, lifestyle, and other consumer goods. Its retail presence is concentrated in Denmark, with stores in Copenhagen and its suburbs as well as in Odense, Aarhus, and Aalborg. The company is commonly identified with its Copenhagen flagship, which functions both as a major shopping destination and as a visible part of the city’s commercial and architectural heritage. The business began in 1868, when Theodor Wessel and Emil Vett opened a draper’s shop in Aarhus under the name Emil Vett & Co. The enterprise expanded quickly and moved to larger premises in Aarhus in 1871. In 1870, the partners also opened a Copenhagen shop in rented space at the Hotel du Nord on Kongens Nytorv. The Copenhagen operation gradually occupied more of the hotel, and the business adopted the Magasin du Nord name in 1879. The association with the site became central to the brand’s identity. Magasin’s original growth was broader than the modern department-store chain. In the late nineteenth century, it operated many branches across Denmark and also developed textile manufacturing activities. By 1892 it reportedly had 50 stores nationwide, rising to 98 by 1906. A branch in Malmö followed in 1911. As retail economics changed, the company later moved away from a highly dispersed network and toward a smaller number of larger department stores. It was listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange in 1952, although it is no longer a listed company. The Kongens Nytorv building was rebuilt in the early 1890s after the former hotel and an adjoining structure were demolished. Completed in 1894, it was designed in a French Renaissance Revival style by Henri Glæsel and Albert Jensen, with Olaus Mynster serving as executive architect. The building remains the chain’s best-known physical asset and the setting for the Magasin du Nord Museum, an exhibition devoted to the company’s retail history that opened in 2013. The company has experienced several ownership and strategic changes. It acquired fellow Danish department store Illum in 1991, but Illum was later sold to Merrill Lynch in 2003. During periods of financial pressure, Magasin sold and leased back several properties, including locations in Kongens Nytorv, Lyngby, and Aalborg. Ownership then passed through an Icelandic consortium associated with Baugur Group, followed by Straumur Investment Bank and Solstra Holding. Debenhams acquired Magasin du Nord in 2009 while Solstra retained property interests. After Debenhams encountered severe financial difficulties and placed its Danish chain on the market in 2020, Peek & Cloppenburg KG, Düsseldorf acquired Magasin in May 2021. Today, Magasin du Nord operates as a Danish-focused department-store brand within the Peek & Cloppenburg group. Its positioning combines a broad multi-category assortment with fashion and design credibility, premium urban locations, and the heritage value of the Kongens Nytorv flagship. The company also supports Danish fashion and design through the annual Magasin du Nord Fashion Prize, which recognizes a Danish fashion brand or designer.
History
Magasin du Nord traces its origins to 1868, when Theodor Wessel and Emil Vett established a draper’s shop in Aarhus under the name Emil Vett & Co. The business was successful from the outset and moved to larger premises in 1871. The partners expanded into Copenhagen in 1870 by renting space in the Hotel du Nord on Kongens Nytorv. As the Copenhagen operation grew, it progressively occupied more of the hotel, and the company adopted the Magasin du Nord name in 1879. The enterprise developed into a substantial nineteenth-century retail and manufacturing concern. In 1876, Wessel and Vett established a textile factory in Nørrebro under the name Vett, Wessel & Fiala. The factory later moved to Østerbro and produced textiles, including materials used in furniture. Meanwhile, the retail operation expanded throughout Denmark. By 1892, the company reportedly had 50 stores, and by 1906 the number had reached 98. International expansion remained limited; a Th. Wessel & Vett branch opened in Malmö in 1911. The company’s best-known building emerged from the redevelopment of the Kongens Nytorv site. Magasin took over the entire Hotel du Nord by 1889. The hotel and a neighboring building were demolished in 1893, and a new department-store building was completed in 1894. Designed by Henri Glæsel and Albert Jensen, with Olaus Mynster as executive architect, the building used a French Renaissance Revival style that helped establish the flagship as a landmark of Copenhagen retail. During the twentieth century, the company transitioned from a large number of relatively small outlets toward a more concentrated department-store model. Magasin was listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange in 1952, and its strategy shifted toward fewer, larger stores. The retailer also played a small but notable role in the history of LEGO: in the winter of 1954, Magasin’s toy buyer Troels Petersen advised LEGO’s Godtfred Kirk Christiansen to combine individual toys into a broader play system, an idea associated with the development of LEGO’s system-based product concept. Magasin remained under the control of the Emil Vett family until the mid-1990s. It acquired competitor Illum in 1991, but Illum was sold to Merrill Lynch in 2003. The company subsequently faced economic and debt pressures. To reduce liabilities, it sold and leased back several properties, including buildings at Kongens Nytorv, Lyngby, and Aalborg. This separated parts of the retail operation from ownership of its real estate. In 2004, Magasin was sold to an Icelandic consortium led by Baugur Group. After Baugur became insolvent in Iceland and entered administration in the United Kingdom in 2009, control passed to Straumur Investment Bank. Straumur later entered a joint venture with Pakistani businessman Alshair Fiyaz under the name Solstra Holding, which repurchased assets previously sold. Debenhams acquired Magasin du Nord in November 2009, while Solstra retained a 20 percent interest in Illum and ownership of various properties. Fiyaz became Solstra’s sole owner in 2010. Later that year, properties in Lyngby, Aarhus, and Odense were sold to ATP and PensionDanmark for an estimated DKK 1.5 billion; Solstra retained the Kongens Nytorv flagship building. Debenhams’ financial problems eventually affected Magasin’s ownership again. In September 2020, Debenhams placed its seven-store Danish chain up for sale. Peek & Cloppenburg KG, Düsseldorf completed the acquisition in May 2021. Magasin continues as a Danish department-store chain with its principal presence in Copenhagen and additional locations in Lyngby, Rødovre, Odense, Aarhus, and Aalborg. The brand’s heritage is reinforced by its Kongens Nytorv museum and its annual fashion prize for Danish designers and fashion companies.
- 2021
Acquisition by Peek & Cloppenburg
[1]Peek & Cloppenburg KG, Düsseldorf acquired the Danish department-store chain.
- 2013
Magasin du Nord Museum opened
[1]A historical exhibition opened at the Kongens Nytorv store to present the chain’s retail heritage.
- 2009
Debenhams acquisition
[1]Debenhams acquired Magasin du Nord while Solstra retained certain property and Illum interests.
- 2004
Acquisition by a Baugur-led consortium
[1]The company was sold to an Icelandic consortium headed by Baugur Group.
- 1991
Illum acquisition
[1]Magasin du Nord acquired Danish department-store competitor Illum.
- 1952
Stock exchange listing
[1]Magasin du Nord was listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange and began emphasizing fewer, larger department stores.
- 1911
Malmö branch opened
[1]A Th. Wessel & Vett branch followed in Malmö, Sweden.
- 1894
Kongens Nytorv flagship completed
[1]A new French Renaissance Revival department-store building was completed on the Kongens Nytorv site.
- 1879
Adoption of the Magasin du Nord name
[1]The expanding Copenhagen operation adopted the name Magasin du Nord, taken from the hotel in which it operated.
- 1870
Copenhagen expansion
[1]The partners opened a shop in rented space at the Hotel du Nord on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen.
Products and positioning
A heritage Danish department-store brand combining broad multi-category retail with fashion, beauty, home, lifestyle, and design-oriented offerings in prominent urban locations.
Apparel and accessories
Fashion
Magasin’s core department-store assortment includes women’s and men’s fashion, footwear, bags, jewelry, and other accessories. The category supports the brand’s urban, style-oriented positioning and connects the heritage department-store format with contemporary Danish and international labels.
Cosmetics and personal care
Beauty
Beauty is a major department-store category spanning cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, and related personal-care products. It complements Magasin’s fashion offer and contributes to the chain’s premium and lifestyle-oriented shopping experience.
Home furnishings and lifestyle merchandise
Home and lifestyle
The chain also carries home, interior, design, and lifestyle merchandise. This broadens Magasin beyond apparel and allows its stores to function as multi-category destinations for household purchases, gifts, and seasonal shopping.
Marketing campaigns
- Magasin du Nord Fashion Prize
Denmark
An annual award organized by Magasin du Nord for a Danish fashion brand or designer. The prize is presented as a platform for Danish fashion and design talent and is associated with a grand award of DKK 300,000.
Outcome. The award has become a recurring design and fashion initiative associated with the Magasin brand.
Brand decisions
2021
Acquisition by Peek & CloppenburgM&ABackground
Debenhams placed its Danish chain on the market in 2020 amid severe financial difficulties.
Action taken
Peek & Cloppenburg KG, Düsseldorf acquired Magasin du Nord in May 2021.
Aftermath
Magasin continued as a Danish-focused department-store chain under new private ownership.
1991
Acquisition of IllumM&ABackground
Magasin du Nord pursued consolidation within Denmark’s department-store sector.
Action taken
The company acquired competitor Illum.
Aftermath
Illum was later sold to Merrill Lynch in 2003, separating the two department-store businesses again.
1952
Shift toward fewer, larger department storesStrategyBackground
After decades of operating a very broad branch network, Magasin moved toward a more concentrated department-store model around the time of its Copenhagen stock-market listing.
Action taken
The company emphasized larger stores rather than maintaining the earlier network of numerous smaller outlets.
Aftermath
The strategic direction helped define the modern chain’s focus on prominent department-store locations.
- Sale-and-leaseback of selected propertiesStrategy
Background
The company experienced economic and debt difficulties and sought to reduce its financial burden.
Action taken
Magasin sold several properties, including sites in Kongens Nytorv, Lyngby, and Aalborg, while continuing to operate them through lease arrangements.
Aftermath
The move reduced direct real-estate ownership but left the retail business exposed to lease obligations and changing ownership structures.
Recent events
- 2021
Magasin du Nord was acquired by Peek & Cloppenburg[1]
M&A
Peek & Cloppenburg KG, Düsseldorf acquired Magasin du Nord after the Danish department-store chain had been put up for sale during Debenhams' financial difficulties.
- 2020
Debenhams put its Danish department-store chain up for sale[1]
M&A · Bankruptcy
Financially troubled Debenhams sought a buyer for its seven-store Danish chain, initiating the process that led to the 2021 acquisition by Peek & Cloppenburg.
- 2013
Magasin du Nord Museum opened at Kongens Nytorv[1]
Other
An exhibition documenting more than 150 years of Magasin du Nord and Danish retail history opened inside the Kongens Nytorv store and was operated by the Magasin du Nord Foundation.
- 1991
Magasin du Nord acquired Illum[1]
M&A
Magasin du Nord took over Danish department-store competitor Illum. Illum was subsequently sold to Merrill Lynch in 2003.
Sources1 sources
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