Private company

Bestseller

Logo: Mail4mostafa, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

Danish clothing company (e. 1975)

Bestseller A/S is a privately held family-owned clothing and accessories company founded in Denmark in 1975. The company provides affordable fashion for men, women and children. They market their products in 70 markets across most of Europe, the Middle East, Canada, India and globally via e-commerce.2 It was founded by Troels Holch Povlsen.1 It employed about 20,700 people in 2024.1 Its revenue was DKK 35.2 billion in 2022.1 It is part of Bestseller United A/S.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1975Founded1
  • Industryclothing industry, retail, wholesale1
  • HeadquartersBrande1
  • Founded inBrande1
  • Websitewww.bestseller.com
  • Legal formaktieselskab1
  • LEI213800VIH5AL9VOSRF633
  • StatusActive3
  • LEI statusIssued and current3
  • Registered addressFREDSKOVVEJ 5, 7330 Brande, Denmark3
  • Registered withDanish Business Authority, 882165123
Bestseller
Photo: RhinoMind, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons6

Bestseller A/S is a privately held family-owned clothing and accessories company founded in Denmark in 1975. The company provides affordable fashion for men, women and children. They market their products in 70 markets across most of Europe, the Middle East, Canada, India and globally via e-commerce. They operate almost 9,000 shops worldwide, 6,000 in China and the rest mainly in Europe.2

Corporate structure

Bestseller is part of a group headed by Heartland A/S. 37 entities, 5 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • Heartland A/S Aarhus C, Denmark
    • Bestseller Brande, Denmark
      • ONLY Subsidiary · Brande, Denmark
      • VILA Subsidiary · Skanderborg, Denmark
      • BEST UNITED INDIA COMFORTS PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Mumbai, India
      • BESTSELLER FASHION INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Mumbai, India
      • BESTSELLER RETAIL EUROPE A/S Subsidiary · Brande, Denmark
      • BESTSELLER STORES BELGIUM Subsidiary · Antwerpen, Belgium
      • ONLY & SONS Subsidiary
      • ONLY RETAIL PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Mumbai, India
      • SELECTED Subsidiary
      • SELECTED RETAIL PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Mumbai, India
      • VERO MODA RETAIL PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Mumbai, India
    • Normal Skanderborg, Denmark
    • WhiteAway Aarhus N, Denmark
    • Nemlig.com Subsidiary · Brøndby Municipality, Denmark
    • Stylepit.com Subsidiary · Copenhagen
    • ASOS Stake · 25% · London, United Kingdom
    • M AND M DIRECT LIMITED Subsidiary · 98% · Hereford, United Kingdom
    • AAA UNITED B.V. Subsidiary · Amstelveen, Netherlands
    • AKTIESELSKABET AF 1.2.2017 Subsidiary · Aarhus C, Denmark
    • AKTIESELSKABET AF 1.3.2017 Subsidiary · Aarhus C, Denmark
    • AKTIESELSKABET AF 10.6.2021 Subsidiary · Aarhus C, Denmark
    • AKTIESELSKABET AF 12.6.2018 Subsidiary · Aarhus C, Denmark
    • AKTIESELSKABET AF 16.11.2005 Subsidiary · Aarhus C, Denmark
    • AKTIESELSKABET AF 2.7.2018 Subsidiary · Aarhus C, Denmark
    • AKTIESELSKABET AF 5.5.2010 Subsidiary · Aarhus C, Denmark
    • BESTSELLER LEASE MANAGEMENT A/S Subsidiary · Brande, Denmark
    • BESTSELLER UNITED A/S Subsidiary · Aarhus C, Denmark
      • BIANCO FOOTWEAR A/S Subsidiary · Lunderskov, Denmark
    • BRIGHTFOLK A/S Subsidiary · Aarhus C, Denmark
    • Invest FWD Subsidiary · Denmark
    • Midtjylland Airport Subsidiary · Viborg Municipality, Denmark
    • THE FOOTBALL COLLECTIVE A/S Subsidiary · Herning, Denmark
    • FC Midtjylland Stake · 25% · Herning Municipality, Denmark
    • Bur solar power station Owned · Holstebro Municipality, Denmark
    • Constantinsborg Owned · Aarhus Municipality, Denmark
    • Wildland Owned

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

Founded by Troels Holch Povlsen in 1975, in Brande.1

The company was founded in 1975 by Troels Holch Povlsen in Brande, Denmark. Originally its focus was on women's fashion. It introduced children's clothing in 1986 and menswear in 1988. Bestseller is family-owned and the company employs around 17,000 people.

A December 2023 report funded by the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats found Bestseller's China-based supplier had connections to forced Uyghur labor.

From Wikipedia’s article on Bestseller (company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5

Leadership

Who has led Bestseller, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Products and brands

Listed on Wikidata.1

Brands

Bestseller has a number of different brands under which it sells its clothing. The brands are listed below and are sold both in the company's own stores and through independent retailers.

Women's clothing

ONLY – Bestseller's largest brand, young female fashion

Vero Moda – The company's basic brand of women's clothing. In 2007, the company hired the supermodel Gisele Bündchen to promote the brand in 2007–08.

Mamalicious – maternity wear

Read the full text

VILA – for younger women

SELECTED Femme – sister brand to Selected Homme

Junarose – plus size

Y.A.S

Topshop (joint-venture with ASOS)

Noisy May

PIECES

Object

Jacqueline de Yong

produkt

JJXX – Bestseller's newest, young female brand

Menswear

Jack & Jones – brand targeted at younger customers, with underwear and other garments. It was released in 1990. Originally a denim specialty brand, the brand has since expanded its product line to include comfortable, modern urban sportswear, shoes, and accessories. They sponsor Danish sportsmen Mikkel Kessler and Kevin Magnussen, as well as Danish esports team Astralis and American Formula One team Haas F1 Team. The first store opened in Trondheim, Norway, in 1991, and the second in Sweden the same year. A year later, stores opened in Finland and Denmark. By 1994, the number of stores in the Scandinavian countries had increased to 36. There were 1,000 stores by 2025.

Selected Homme – contemporary menswear label, including tailored suits and shirts

Outfitters Nation – targeted at teenagers, later changed to LMTD.

Only & Sons

Topman (joint-venture with ASOS)

Children's clothing

Name It – clothes for babies and children.

Other

Normal – variety store chain (71.29% share).

Retail stores

Bestseller has shops in most European countries, the Middle East, India, China, Uruguay, and Canada (over 45 countries in total). Bestseller is one of the biggest European fashion companies in China with more than 1,200 shops and is said to be "one of the only foreign clothing companies successful at penetrating the middle price range Chinese consumer market". Shops sell either clothing of one single brand or of all brands of the company. There are more than 800 shops selling Vero Moda around the globe. The Jack & Jones brand is sold in approximately 2,000 retail shops, of which 270 are Jack & Jones franchises.

Stakes in other retailers

Bestseller, via its parent holding company Heartland, is the largest shareholder at 29.5% of British e-commerce firm ASOS.com, and owns 10% of German retailer Zalando. In July 2018, Heartland invested $300m in German fashion startup About You.

In November 2012, Bestseller bought 10% of SmartGuy Group, when they became quoted on the Danish stock exchange Nasdaq OMX.

From Wikipedia’s article on Bestseller (company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

  • Bestseller United A/S

Owners

Subsidiaries

From Wikidata.1

Employees over time

  • 202420,7041

Revenue over time

As stated on Wikidata, in the currency reported.

Revenue

  • 202235.2B DKK1

Net income

  • 20225.1B DKK1

Timeline

  1. Sep 9, 2024Parent Directly consolidated by Heartland A/S3
  2. 1975Founded Founded in Brande1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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