Espresso House
{{short description|Swedish coffeehouse chain}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Espresso House
| logo = Espresso House logo.svg
| logo_size = 170px
| type = Subsidiary
| industry = {{flat list|
}}
| founded = {{start date and age|1996}} in Lund, Sweden
| founder = {{flat list|
- Elisabet Asker
- Charles Asker
}}
| hq_location_city = Stockholm
| hq_location_country = Sweden
| num_locations = 510
| num_locations_year = 2023
| area_served = Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, and Sweden
| revenue = {{Increase}} 1.4 billion SEK
| revenue_year = 2018
| operating_income = {{Increase}} 125.368 million SEK
| income_year = 2018
| net_income = {{Decrease}} -4.940 million SEK
| net_income_year = 2018
| equity = {{Decrease}} 76.820 million SEK
| num_employees = 1697
| num_employees_year = December 2018
| parent = JAB Holding Company (2015)
| subsid = Johan & Nyström
| website = {{URL|espressohouse.com/}}
}}
Espresso House is the largest coffeehouse chain in the Nordic countries.{{r|L3696}}{{r|KGKxk}} The company was founded in Lund, Sweden in 1996 by Elisabet and Charles Asker. In April 2023 it reached over 510 locations throughout Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Germany.
History
Espresso House was founded by the couple Elisabet and Charles Asker with the coffee bar Café Java in Gothenburg. The first café bearing the name Espresso House opened on street Kyrkogatan in Lund 1996.{{Cite web|url=https://espressohouse.com/om-oss/historik/|title=Så började det|website=Espresso House|language=Swedish|trans-title=How it began|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009073848/http://www.espressohouse.se/om-oss/historik/|archive-date=9 October 2013|access-date=25 August 2013}} In 2005 the chain consisted of sixteen different cafes, which in March 2018 had expanded to 430 coffee shops.{{Cite web|url=https://espressohouse.com/om-oss/|title=Om oss|last=|first=|date=March 2018|website=Espresso House|language=Swedish|trans-title=About us|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905113229/https://espressohouse.com/om-oss/|archive-date=5 September 2019|access-date=5 September 2019}} All bread and pastry served is baked by the central bakery Espresso House Bakery in Malmö.{{cite web |title=På menyn |url=https://espressohouse.com/pa-menyn/ |website=Espresso House |language=sv |quote=Allt bröd och alla bakverk som vi serverar är bakat med kärlek och omsorg på Espresso House Bakery, vårt alldeles egna bageri som är beläget i Malmö. För att alltid kunna leverera färska produkter till våra coffee shops så fryser vi ned dem så fort de tagits ur ugnen, givetvis nygräddat. |access-date=2019-12-17 |archive-date=2019-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815153100/https://espressohouse.com/pa-menyn/ |url-status=live }}
Organisation
JAB Holding Company, who in connection with the purchase of Espresso House also bought Baresso Coffee in Denmark, decided during the fall of 2016 that all 45 cafés in the Danish chain would convert to Espresso House.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bt.dk/erhverv/saa-er-det-slut-med-kendt-kaffebar-i-danmark|title=Så er det slut med kendt kaffebar i Danmark|last=|first=|date=6 September 2016|website=B.T.|language=Danish|trans-title=That is the end of well-known coffee shop in Denmark|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905115452/https://www.bt.dk/erhverv/saa-er-det-slut-med-kendt-kaffebar-i-danmark|archive-date=5 September 2019|access-date=5 September 2019}}
One thing that's relatively unique for Espresso House is that all coffee houses are corporate-owned, unlike similar chains, like Starbucks, that sometimes use franchising.{{Cite web|url=https://www.starbucks.co.uk/business/franchised-stores|title=Franchised Stores|last=|first=|date=|website=Starbucks|language=English|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603111304/https://www.starbucks.co.uk/business/franchised-stores|archive-date=3 June 2019|access-date=21 October 2016}}
Until September 2012, Espresso House was owned by the British private equity firm Palamon Capital Partners, that also acquired the coffee shop chain Coffee Cup that started in Stockholm 1997. The two brands were united under Espresso House. In September 2012, the chain was acquired by the Norwegian private equity firm Herkules Capital that later sold it again in 2015 to the German family business JAB Holding Company.{{Cite news|url=https://www.di.se/artiklar/2015/6/8/espresso-house-far-tyska-agare/?p=1|title=Espresso House får tyska ägare|last=Butovitsch|first=Katarina|date=8 June 2015|work=Dagens Industri|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113113028/https://www.di.se/artiklar/2015/6/8/espresso-house-far-tyska-agare/?p=1|archive-date=13 November 2017|language=Swedish|trans-title=Espresso House get German owners}}
==Locations==
As of April 2023, there were 510 stores in the following countries:{{cite web|url=https://de.espressohouse.com/en/find-us|title=Find Us|access-date=2024-09-11|archive-date=2023-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421101249/https://de.espressohouse.com/en/find-us|url-status=live}}
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Country ! data-sort-type="number" | Number of stores |
| Denmark
| 76 |
| Finland
| 73 |
| Norway
| 63 |
| Sweden
| 258 |
| Germany
| 40 |
Impact
Espresso House has been compared to Starbucks in North America in regards to its ubiquity and spread. In Norway, the chain has become a symbol of gentrification and "commercial monoculture".{{r|SeaO4}}{{r|FkIj0}}{{r|1b9B3}}{{r|kcjoz}}
In January 2022 the Finnish investigative journalism show M.O.T reported multiple occasions of mismanagement, hygiene related issues and employees having monthly working hours exceeding lawful limits.{{r|ylenews}}
Gallery
File:Espressohouse, Konserthuset, 2017b.jpg|The branch at Stockholm Concert Hall.
File:Stockholm 2285 (3352867027).jpg|The branch at Västerlånggatan, Stockholm.
File:2017 Stockholm attack 05.jpg|The branch at Drottninggatan, Stockholm.
File:Kirkkokatu 8 Oulu 20201212.jpg|The branch at the Pallas House, Oulu, Finland.
References
{{reflist|refs=
|url = https://dailycoffeenews.com/2015/06/02/largest-nordic-coffee-chain-espresso-house-bought-by-jab/
|title = Largest Nordic Coffee Chain Espresso House Bought by JAB
|date = 2 June 2015
|publisher =
|accessdate = 2 December 2017
|quote = JAB Holding Company has reached a deal to buy the Nordic region’s largest branded coffee chain, Espresso House, including 193 shops in Sweden and Norway.
|archive-date = 16 August 2019
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190816002633/https://dailycoffeenews.com/2015/06/02/largest-nordic-coffee-chain-espresso-house-bought-by-jab/
|url-status = live
}}
|url = https://www.fyens.dk/erhverv/Nye-tyske-ejere-lukker-Baresso/artikel/3063765
|title = Nye tyske ejere lukker Baresso
|date = 6 September 2016
|publisher = Fyens Stiftstidende
|language = Danish
|accessdate = 2 December 2017
|quote = Espresso House er den største kaffekæde i Norden med flere end 220 kaffebarer i Sverige, Norge, Finland og Danmark.
|archive-date = 3 December 2017
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171203224525/https://www.fyens.dk/erhverv/Nye-tyske-ejere-lukker-Baresso/artikel/3063765
|url-status = live
}}
|url = https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/debatt/i/aJa7/Vet-du-hva-jeg-hater-Starbucks-Vet-du-hva-jeg-hater-mer-Espresso-House
|title = Vet du hva jeg hater? Starbucks. Vet du hva jeg hater mer? Espresso House
|last = Mcpherson
|first = Ben
|date = 4 May 2015
|work = Aftenposten
|language = Norwegian
|accessdate = 28 November 2017
|archive-date = 1 December 2017
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034344/https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/debatt/i/aJa7/Vet-du-hva-jeg-hater-Starbucks-Vet-du-hva-jeg-hater-mer-Espresso-House
|url-status = live
}}
|url = https://www.vg.no/nyheter/meninger/oslo/kjedehelvete/a/23634148/
|title = Kjedehelvete
|last = Nordbø
|first = Dagfinn
|date = 8 March 2016
|work = VG
|language = Norwegian
|accessdate = 28 November 2017
|archive-date = 1 December 2017
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035845/https://www.vg.no/nyheter/meninger/oslo/kjedehelvete/a/23634148/
|url-status = live
}}
|url = http://www.nattogdag.no/2016/03/kjedelig-utvikling-espresso-house-overtar-grunerlokkas-mest-kjente-matbutikk-og-burger-king-apner-torggata/
|title = Kjedelig utvikling? Espresso House overtar for Grünerløkkas mest kjente matbutikk, og Burger King åpner i Torggata
|last = Imeland
|first = Vilde
|date = 19 March 2016
|work = Natt og Dag
|language = Norwegian
|accessdate = 28 November 2017
|archive-date = 1 December 2017
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034316/http://www.nattogdag.no/2016/03/kjedelig-utvikling-espresso-house-overtar-grunerlokkas-mest-kjente-matbutikk-og-burger-king-apner-torggata/
|url-status = live
}}
|url = http://www.dagsavisen.no/oslo/lokka-er-blitt-en-catwalk-1.691583
|title = - Løkka er blitt en catwalk
|last = Fremstad
|first = Hanne Sofie
|date = 29 March 2016
|work = Dagsavisen
|language = Norwegian
|accessdate = 28 November 2017
|archive-date = 1 December 2017
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034212/http://www.dagsavisen.no/oslo/lokka-er-blitt-en-catwalk-1.691583
|url-status = live
}}
| url = https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12257339
| title = Investigative report by YLE
| language = Finnish
| accessdate = 9 January 2022
| archive-date = 9 January 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220109092634/https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12257339
| url-status = live
}}
}}
External links
{{commons category|Espresso House}}
- {{Official website|https://espressohouse.com/}} {{in lang|sv}}
- {{Google translation|en|sv|https://espressohouse.com|Espresso House}} (in English via Google Translate)
{{Coffee}}
Category:Coffeehouses and cafés in Sweden
Category:Food and drink companies based in Stockholm
Category:1996 establishments in Sweden
Category:1990s establishments in Malmöhus County
Category:Long stubs with short prose
{{Europe-restaurant-stub}}