Great Greenland Furhouse facts for kids
| Aktieselskab | |
| Industry | Fashion, Fur trade |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Hans Lassen |
| Headquarters | , |
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Key people
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Bruno Olesen (Chairman) Preben Møller (CEO) |
| Products | Haute couture, Ready to wear, Accessories, Footwear & Fur |
 DKK 68,763,000 (2006) |
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Number of employees
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64 |
Great Greenland Furhouse is a company in Qaqortoq, south Greenland. It processes furs and sells clothing, fashion items, and other products. These items are made from Greenlandic fur and seal skin. The company works closely with the Government of Greenland.
Great Greenland buys seal skins from all over Greenland. They have special places called skin centers in towns like Maniitsoq, Nuuk, Tasiilaq, and Upernavik. There are also over 70 smaller trading spots in villages. Even the smallest communities can sell dried seal skin through the local store, Pilersuisoq. More than 2,500 people are involved in the seal skin trade. This makes Great Greenland Furhouse one of the biggest employers in the whole country. Out of 64 direct employees, 51 work in Qaqortoq. This makes the company a major employer in that town.
Company History
The company started in 1977. It was first called Grønlandsgarveriet, which means "The tannery of Greenland." Hans Lassen created it. Its main job was tanning seal skin. In 1982, the government took ownership of Grønlandsgarveriet. The company's name changed to Great Greenland in 1991.
From 2005 to 2012, the company lost money each year. But in 2013, it made a profit of 5.9 million Norwegian Krone. The company had faced financial issues. This was because a former partner sold 58,000 of their furs without telling them.
In 2014, Great Greenland sold 9,000 fur pieces. This happened at Kopenhagen Fur, the world's largest fur auction.
Rules About Fur
It is against the law to import or sell seal fur in the United States. This rule comes from the 1972 U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act. This law stops the import or sale of all marine mammal products. It does not matter if the animal is endangered or not.
On May 5, 2009, the European Parliament voted for a ban on seal products across the European Union. However, there are special rules. These rules allow limited trade of seal products for Greenland's Inuit people. Most of Great Greenland's fur products are sold in Europe. Denmark is their biggest customer.
Since the European Economic Community (EEC) banned seal skin in 1983, Great Greenland gets money every year. They receive between 25 and 30 million Danish Krone. This money helps support and grow seal hunting and production in Greenland. About 1,900 professional hunters have licenses in Greenland. Around 200 to 300 of them depend on selling seal skins to Great Greenland for their income. These hunters earn about 50,000 Danish Krone each year from hunting and coastal fishing. About 20% of this money comes from direct help from the Greenland Home Rule.
The EU's seal ban in 2009 caused problems for the company. In 2016, they had to close their last sewing workshop. In 2017, the company thought there were about 12 million seals in Greenland. After the ban, many Inuit hunters started fishing more. This led to too many seals and fewer fish for people to catch.
See also
