Lindström (company)

History

Lindström was founded by Carl August Lindström in 1848, in Helsinki. The company was originally in the textile dye house and it was called C.A Lindström & Son. In 1891, Carl August Lindström handed the company over to his son, W.E. Lindström. In 1918, Lindström Oy was turned into a joint stock company and the name was changed to AB W.E. Lindström Oy.

In the 1920s, the Lindström family sold their shares to the Roiha family who maintain ownership and control over the company today. In the 1930s, the company focused on the textile dye and laundry business. 1940s the company experienced major setbacks during and after the Winter War and the Continuation War. Industrial laundry services experienced a drop in demand when the availability of textile products suffered. In the 1950s, the demand for industrial laundry services dropped, which made Lindström offer laundry services to consumers. The company also began investing in and focusing on the textile rental services business.

In the 1960s, Lindström started actively marketing its textile rental services to companies as it was seen as a source for potential future earnings. In 1974, Lindström bought its biggest competitor in the textile industry, market leader Lainatekstiili Oy from Tampella Oy.

In the beginning of the 1970s, the demand for consumer laundry services plummeted as the popularity of home washing machines increased. In the mid-1970s, Lindström started offering more cleaning services. Due to this shift in focus, the company bought Laite-Siivous Oy in 1975. Lindström began matt and mop rentals in 1971. In 1976 the company closed its textile dye unit because the business had become unprofitable.

Through acquisitions, Lindström Oy was evolving into a holding company. After mid-1970s, Lindström Group decided to focus on the development of the Lindström brand, which is why it started marketing many of the businesses it owned jointly under the Lindström name.

In the 1980s, the company was involved in several mergers and acquisitions. In most cases, Lindström was the buyer, although it also sold some companies it had bought earlier, but which had since turned out unprofitable.

In the 1990s, Lindström gave up cleaning and waste management services, as well as its laundry shops, and directed its full attention to textile renting services. In the same decade, the company began pursuing an aggressive international expansion strategy.

In the beginning of the 2000s, Lindström created Comforta Oy. It also began textile sales to its customers, in addition to rentals. In the beginning of 2002, Lindström handed the ownership of Lindström House over to Lindström Invest Oy. In 2002, Lindström’s module laundry was patented. In 2007, Lindström signed a four-year partnership agreement with UNICEF. In the agreement, the company commits to supporting a hygiene and sanitation program in India. In practice, the funds are donated to 250 schools in the Indian state of Bihar, benefiting around 60,000 school children. In 2009, Lindström’s subsidiary Vision Design Clothing Oy merged with Lindström. As a result, a new Design & Brand Management unit was created within the company. The unit concentrates on design and visual planning, as well as the research and development of workwear and corporate gifts.

Services

Lindström offers mat, hygiene, towel, workwear, restaurant textile, personal protective equipment and corporate gift services. Of all the services, only workwear is available in every country the company operates in.

International Operations

Lindtröm operates in 24 countries in Europe and Asia. Lindström Group is made of the parent company Lindström Oy operating in Finland, as well as its subsidiaries in Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. In 2014, the share of foreign subsidiaries of revenue was 112 M€ or 37,1 percent. Lindström utilizes its patented module laundry solution especially in international markets as they allow gradual, low-cost market penetration.