Steen & Strøm Magasin is a department store situated in Nedre Slottsgate in the center of Oslo, Norway. The department store has over 500 Norwegian and international brands. Steen & Strøm Magasin consists of over 33,000 square meters of shops.
Contents
Steen & Strøm Magasin has over 70 shops spread out over 7 floors:
History
Steen & Strøm was founded in 1797 when Samuel Strøm established a little wine and food delicatessen at the corner of Kongens Gate and Prinsens Gate. Strøm bought the two story high, 250 square foot store for 1,700 riksdaler.
In 1856 Samuel Strøm Jr. and Emil Steen took over the firm and renamed it "Steen & Strøm". Business was blooming, so the partners bought the house next door in Prinsens Gate, and in 1874 they opened a four-story department store - the first modern department store in Norway. Here, customers could find beauty articles, fashion, the latest technology, and cafés.
In 1929 the building was destroyed by fire. Architect Ole Sverre was commissioned to design a new, spacious and open building, inspired by the large department stores in Paris. In 1930 the new Steen & Strøm store opened. The shopping center, with Norway's first escalators, quickly became an attraction.
During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, acting chief executive Nils Steen and chairman Erling Steen refused to abide by the trade policies of the occupiers. Erling Steen was imprisoned for a period, and in May 1943 Steen & Strøm were shut down by the Nazis.
In 1992, the department store went bankrupt. Peter Anker Stordalen and a group of other investors bought the estate and continued running the department store. In 2005, Steen & Strøm was then bought by Storebrand Eiendom.
In July 2011, Steen & Strøm was purchased by Søylen Eiendom and Schage Eiendom for over one billion NOK. The new owners wanted to revitalize and upgrade the venerable department store with new retailing and dining experiences.
Profile
Today's magazine underwent a complete facelift in 2012 and now offers a wide range of Norwegian and international brands such as Acne, Agent Provocateur, Antik Batik, Armani, Balenciaga, Baum und Pferdgarten, Bruuns Bazaar, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Camper, Carolina Herrera, Day Birger et. Mikkelsen, Designers Remix, Diesel, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, DSquared², Filippa K, GANT, glo minerals, Gucci, Guess, Hamleys, Hermès, Juicy Couture, La Prairie, Lacoste, Lexington, Maria Black, MiH Jeans, Munthe plus Simonsen, Nudie Jeans, Polarn O. Pyret, Ralph Lauren, Samsonite Black Label, See by Chloé, Tiger of Sweden, Tom Wood and Whyred.
In the summer of 2013 the British toy store Hamleys opened their Norwegian branch on the fifth floor of Steen & Strøm Magasin. The store is over 1,000 square feet, and is a lot like the original store in London, with the staff demonstrating toys in store.
In November 2014 the department store went through a huge makeover. Lots of new stores opened, along with a food court in the basement.