Petter Stordalen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Petter Stordalen
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Stordalen in 2018
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| Born |
Petter Anker Stordalen Bjorvand
29 November 1962 Porsgrunn, Norway
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| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Gunhild Stordalen (married 2010–2019) |
| Partner(s) | Märta Elander Wistén (2020–) |
| Children | 3 |
Petter Stordalen (born 29 November 1962) is a well-known businessman from Norway. He owns a big company called the Strawberry Group. This group includes many businesses, like hotels, shopping centers, and real estate.
Through his company, Strawberry Hospitality Group, he runs Strawberry (which used to be called Nordic Choice Hotels). This hotel chain has over 230 hotels and employs 17,000 people. Petter Stordalen also cares about helping the world. With his former wife, Gunhild Stordalen, he started the Stordalen Foundation. They give money to science and charities that work on climate change.
Contents
Early Life and First Jobs
Petter Stordalen was born in Porsgrunn, Norway, on November 29, 1962. His parents were Kari and Knut Anker Stordalen. When he was just 12 years old, he started selling strawberries at a local market.
In 1974, a local newspaper even called him Norway's best strawberry seller! After high school, he studied business for a year. He also helped manage his father's store before going to the Norwegian School of Marketing.
Building a Business Empire
Starting with Shopping Centers
When Petter was 24, he took charge of Norway's biggest shopping center, City Syd, in Trondheim. He made it very successful. After this, he became a property director for a company called Made in.
Petter helped change the market area in downtown Trondheim. He also relaunched the Liertoppen shopping center near Oslo. Later, he bought the famous department store Steen & Strøm. This store quickly became very profitable. Within three years, his company, Steen & Strøm Invest, owned the most commercial real estate in Norway. However, in 1996, he had a disagreement with a main owner and left his job.
Growing a Hotel Chain
After leaving Steen & Strøm Invest, Petter Stordalen decided to focus on hotels. In 1996, he bought a large part of Choice Hotels. He also bought other hotel companies, like Home and InterNor.
He made Choice Hotels Scandinavia a public company, meaning people could buy shares in it. For three years, his company bought a new hotel almost every two weeks! They also hired 50 new employees every 10 days. By the time he was 37, Petter Stordalen had become a billionaire in Norwegian money.
In 2012, Stordalen opened a huge hotel called Clarion Post Hotel in Gothenburg, Sweden. It had 500 rooms. At the opening, 10,000 people watched a big light and fireworks show. Petter even played the drums from inside a giant disco ball on top of the hotel! In 2022, he opened the Somerro Hotel in Oslo, which used to be an old office building. This hotel has a cool rooftop pool.
Petter Stordalen's Investments
Petter Stordalen's main company is called Strawberry Group. It has several parts:
- Strawberry Hospitality Group: This is one of the biggest hotel chains in Scandinavia. It has hotels in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and the Baltic countries.
- Strawberry Advisory: This part invests in other companies.
- Strawberry Properties: This group owns and develops many buildings.
- Strawberry Art & Design: This company holds Stordalen's art collection.
He also has Strawberry Fields, which invests in real estate in Nordic cities. Strawberry Future focuses on investments that help with sustainability and the environment.
His Art Collection
As Petter Stordalen became more successful, he started collecting art. He mostly buys modern art. He has spent millions of dollars on art for his hotels, like the Clarion Hotel Post. His private art collection is also very valuable.
In 2013, he opened a new hotel in Oslo called The Thief. Every one of its 119 rooms has unique original art. The hotel also works with the nearby Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art to borrow famous artworks. Petter Stordalen even owns some art by Andy Warhol that shows the work of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. His total art collection is worth over 50 million dollars.
Business Philosophy
Petter Stordalen's business ideas come from his childhood. He calls it The strawberry philosophy. When he was young, he complained to his dad about the quality of the strawberries he was selling. His dad told him, "Sell the berries you have, they are the only berries you can sell." This means you should make the best of what you have.
Every year, Stordalen holds a big meeting for his hotel managers. It's known for being a fun party with special music and shows. He also gives a very inspiring speech to motivate his employees.
Awards and Recognition
Petter Stordalen and his companies have won many awards:
- Best Scandinavian Hotel Chain (2007 and 2008)
- Best Work Place (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011)
- European Hotel Design Award (2008)
- Sweden's most trusted brand for Selma SPA (2008)
- Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2010)
- Brightest Business Mind in Northern Europe (2016)
- Leader of the Year (2017)
Caring for the Environment
Petter Stordalen is also known for his environmental work. He supported the Bellona Foundation to help free their expert, Alexander Nikitin, who was in trouble for a report on nuclear safety. In 2002, he protested at a British nuclear plant called Sellafield. He chained himself to a bridge there for nine hours to protest pollution. In 2007, he protested against toxic waste dumping in the Oslofjord.
With his former wife, Gunhild Stordalen, he started the Stordalen Foundation. This foundation helps with climate change issues. They even invited famous people like Arnold Schwarzenegger to speak at their events. The foundation also supports the European Climate Foundation. In 2011, they created GreeNudge. This group helps leaders get information to make good climate policies.
All of the hotels in Petter Stordalen's company, Nordic Choice Hotels, are certified for being environmentally friendly.
Personal Life
Petter Stordalen lives in Oslo. He has three children from his first marriage: a daughter named Emilie and two sons named Henrik and Jakob.
He married doctor and environmentalist Gunhild Stordalen in 2010. Their wedding was a big event in Marrakech. They separated in 2019 but remain good friends and continue to work together on projects.
After the sad events of the 2011 Utøya shooting, Petter Stordalen donated a large sum of money to help rebuild the summer camp for young people.
