Elkjøp
Encyclopedia
Elkjøp is the largest electrical retailer in the Nordic countries
, with over 264 stores across six countries and 6000 employees. It is owned by Dixons Retail.
As of 2008, Elkjøp has several sister stores outside the Nordic countries, including in Poland
and Hungary
, and the Nordic stores alone sold for £1.6 billion in 2006-2007. Means of maintaining the low prices include huge bulk purchases and accompanying stockpiles, efficient use of big department stores instead of costly downtown shops, and an extensive array of noname or lesser known brands. Because the sales are mostly based on volume, customers in seek of more in-depth technical expertise may turn to stores specialized in the intended product group.
Many stores in the Elkjøp corporation have a 30 day full refund policy which allows consumers to try the product at home and still return it for any given reason, often with the exception of, including but not limited to, mobile phones, software, internal hardware components and consumables, which need to be sealed. However, as returned products are restocked and resold, critics emphasize the risk of purchasing used products which are faulty, sold as new or products with storage media containing tracks of its previous owner. While this type of policy is often marketed as a form of consumer satisfaction warranty, several media events have been reported with consumers receiving faulty and/or used products without knowing from corporations employing the refund policy.
Elkjøp trades under several different brands:
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
, with over 264 stores across six countries and 6000 employees. It is owned by Dixons Retail.
As of 2008, Elkjøp has several sister stores outside the Nordic countries, including in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, and the Nordic stores alone sold for £1.6 billion in 2006-2007. Means of maintaining the low prices include huge bulk purchases and accompanying stockpiles, efficient use of big department stores instead of costly downtown shops, and an extensive array of noname or lesser known brands. Because the sales are mostly based on volume, customers in seek of more in-depth technical expertise may turn to stores specialized in the intended product group.
Many stores in the Elkjøp corporation have a 30 day full refund policy which allows consumers to try the product at home and still return it for any given reason, often with the exception of, including but not limited to, mobile phones, software, internal hardware components and consumables, which need to be sealed. However, as returned products are restocked and resold, critics emphasize the risk of purchasing used products which are faulty, sold as new or products with storage media containing tracks of its previous owner. While this type of policy is often marketed as a form of consumer satisfaction warranty, several media events have been reported with consumers receiving faulty and/or used products without knowing from corporations employing the refund policy.
Elkjøp trades under several different brands:
- NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
: Elkjøp and Lefdal Lavpris. - SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
: ElgigantenElgigantenElgiganten is an electrical retailer located in Finland, Denmark and Sweden.The stores are a brandname of Elkjøp owned by the British Dixons Retail plc.Managing Director of Elgiganten is Jesper Boysen ....
and PC-City. - DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
: Elgiganten. - FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
: Gigantti and Markantalo. - IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
: Elko. - Faroe IslandsFaroe IslandsThe Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
: Elding.