PHOTO GALLERY: Moments from Lars Larsen's life
On 19 August 2020, it is one year since JYSK's founder, Lars Larsen, passed away at 71. In the photos below, you can see some glimpses from his busy and inspiring life.
Born in 1948
Lars Kristinus Larsen was born on 6 August 1948, as you can see from this birth certificate.
Mother and siblings
Second from the right, Lars Larsen is seen in this photo with his mother, sitting down, and his three older siblings.
In school
Lars Larsen started in school in August of 1956 as "the smallest, but oldest in my class", as he writes in his autobiography.
Married to Kris
In 1971, just after Christmas, Lars Larsen was married to the love of his life, Kristine (affectionately referred to as Kris).
First store
In 1979, the first Jysk Sengetøjslager store opened in Aarhus, Denmark. Lars Larsen is seen here in front of the store with his wife by his side.
Father of two
In bed and under a duvet, some of JYSK's main products, Lars Larsen is seen here with his wife and two children, Jacob to the left and Mette to the right.
Home office
In the beginning, Lars Larsen kept track of his ever expanding network of stores from his home office in Silkeborg, Denmark.
Expansion to Germany
In 1984, Germany became the first country outside Denmark where Lars Larsen expanded his company. With a locally adapted name, Dänisches Bettenlager.
A national celebrity
In the late 1980s, Lars Larsen became a household name in Denmark after appearing in his own popular TV commercials. Here he is seen with two hosts from the famous Danish talkshow called "Eleva2ren".
90th birthday
In 1998, Lars Larsen and his trusted colleague Åge Nielsen joined their 50th and 40th birthdays and organised a combined 90th birthday party. They also recreated a popular TV sketch called "90th birthday party", which is broadcast every year in Denmark on New Year's Eve.
The autobiography
In 2004, on the 25th anniversary of JYSK, Lars Larsen published his own autobiography - and distributed it to all Danish households with the weekly campaign paper. It has since been translated to many different languages.
His own Roads
In 2006, Lars Larsen received the rare honour of having a road named after him in Uldum, Denmark, where one of JYSK's distribution centres is located. He also received the same honour in Bulgaria, and following his death another city in Denmark named a road after him as well.
A royal knighthood
In 2009, Lars Larsen was awarded the Cross of the Order of Dannebrog. In 2017, the honour was heightened to Knight First Class of the Order of Dannebrog.
Support for Parasports
In 2012, Lars Larsen attended the Paralympics in London to support the Danish Paraathletes. JYSK has been a main sponsor of Parasports in Denmark and a number of other countries since 1989.
40th anniversary
In 2019, a Danish employee celebrated her 40th anniversary in JYSK. Lars Larsen of course joined her for the celebration to thank her for her impressive loyalty.
Final words
On 19 August 2019, Lars Larsen passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his closest family. For his funeral service, he chose this painting for the front page of the leaflet containing song lyrics. The words say, in Danish, "Don't cry because it's over - smile for what has been."
