Per-Erik Burud
Encyclopedia
Per-Erik Burud was a Norwegian
billionaire and head of the grocery chain Kiwi
. He joined Kiwi in 1991, and by 2007 he was Norway's 134th richest man with a fortune of NOK
1.1 billion.
, sorting bottles and wrapping clementines. He later went to business school, and was also an active gymnast
.
in 1991, when the chain had eight stores. During Burud's time in charge of the grocery chain it has expanded, and by 2008 had almost quadrupled the number of employees and stores, and increased revenues six-fold. In 2007 the chain had 413 stores. In 2011 the chain had 450 stores, 8,000 employees and the company had a turnover of NOK 20 billion.
Burud was known for his use of inventive marketing campaigns. In 2000, Burud started a campaign in which the chain gave away every fifth pack of diapers for free. The agreement was the start of a fierce price competition in the Norwegian market for diapers. At the same time a campaign started in which the stores promised the customer the item for free if they discovered items that had reached their expiration date. In 2007, Burud launched a campaign against the value added tax on fruit and vegetables, in which the group covered the VAT on 14 percent of all fresh fruits and vegetables, and he challenged the authorities to make the tax cut permanent.
, where his wife was confirmed dead. The police declared on the evening of 13 July that they assumed Burud was dead. After several days of intensive search, on 21 July the body of a man was found in the area where Burud went missing. The next day the man was identified as Burud.
Norway
Norway , 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...
billionaire and head of the grocery chain Kiwi
Kiwi (store)
Kiwi is a discount store chain in partnership with NorgesGruppen that has 510 retail outlets in Norway, and 110 in Denmark. The stores carry 3,700 articles on 300–1,000 square meters of sales area. Kiwi has about 8000 employees. In addition to premium brands it also carries the private label...
. He joined Kiwi in 1991, and by 2007 he was Norway's 134th richest man with a fortune of NOK
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
1.1 billion.
Early life
As a five-year-old, Burud worked in his father's shop in DrammenDrammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
, sorting bottles and wrapping clementines. He later went to business school, and was also an active gymnast
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
.
Kiwi
Burud bought a share post in KiwiKiwi (store)
Kiwi is a discount store chain in partnership with NorgesGruppen that has 510 retail outlets in Norway, and 110 in Denmark. The stores carry 3,700 articles on 300–1,000 square meters of sales area. Kiwi has about 8000 employees. In addition to premium brands it also carries the private label...
in 1991, when the chain had eight stores. During Burud's time in charge of the grocery chain it has expanded, and by 2008 had almost quadrupled the number of employees and stores, and increased revenues six-fold. In 2007 the chain had 413 stores. In 2011 the chain had 450 stores, 8,000 employees and the company had a turnover of NOK 20 billion.
Burud was known for his use of inventive marketing campaigns. In 2000, Burud started a campaign in which the chain gave away every fifth pack of diapers for free. The agreement was the start of a fierce price competition in the Norwegian market for diapers. At the same time a campaign started in which the stores promised the customer the item for free if they discovered items that had reached their expiration date. In 2007, Burud launched a campaign against the value added tax on fruit and vegetables, in which the group covered the VAT on 14 percent of all fresh fruits and vegetables, and he challenged the authorities to make the tax cut permanent.
Boating accident
On 13 July 2011, Burud was reported missing after a boating accident outside TjømeTjøme
Tjøme is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tjøme. The parish of Tjømø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .-Name:...
, where his wife was confirmed dead. The police declared on the evening of 13 July that they assumed Burud was dead. After several days of intensive search, on 21 July the body of a man was found in the area where Burud went missing. The next day the man was identified as Burud.