I’VE BEEN A LITTLE SHOPKEEPER AT HEART SINCE I WAS A BIG BOY
Jørgen Schou is not just the owner of a successful business. He carries a family legacy, where the grandson took his grandfather’s vision out into the world.
At school, I opened a fruit stand, and I worked as a pump attendant at the Shell gas station in Vamdrup.
I also sold garden furniture next to the station. I’ve been a little shopkeeper at heart since I was a big boy.
We weren’t tourists, but I’ve seen the world.
No matter if you arrive in Kolding from the north, south, or west, you can’t miss it. The large gray warehouse with the name Vision Park written in white. It’s Denmark’s largest single-level warehouse and home to the Nordic region’s largest non-food wholesale company – Schou Company’s new logistics center.
Jørgen Schou enjoys walking around and greeting the staff in the 42-meter-tall high-bay warehouse, which can hold more than 135,000 pallets. Even though he’s no longer involved in the day-to-day operations, he still enjoys watching goods flow in and out – and especially seeing that everything is in order. A warehouse without order is not a good thing.
On the wall hangs the headline of the new strategy: On the way to 10,000 million DKK. Not ten billion, but 10,000 million to really emphasize the goal: to double revenue in the next four years. And the company has been moving forward ever since Jørgen Schou bought back the family business in 2017 from the private equity fund he had sold it to ten years earlier.
"I thought it would be better for the company to get the muscle to acquire more than we dared to at the time. But they weren’t that good at running it. Since then, things have gone really well. We’re on a roll," he says.
Jørgen Schou once again becomes the majority owner, but hands over the CEO role to new leadership. Still, he’s never far away – whether it’s a phone call, a visit to the warehouse, or a construction meeting at Schou’s new headquarters. Not even a power outlet gets installed without his involvement. That’s still his responsibility.
"I’m the type who wants to be involved in the details. The real art is not getting too involved in the details."
That’s why every Friday at noon, regardless of where in the world he is, there’s a recurring meeting on his calendar with Schou’s CEO, the chairman of the board, and himself.
"We’re a trading company, so we have to react quickly to changes. Should we shift purchasing, or take a different shipping route to get goods delivered? It started during the COVID pandemic, but it’s just as important now. I actually think it’s fun when quick decisions need to be made. We have a very short decision-making process. It can move really fast."
A Family Business
Progress and enterprise run in the blood. Vision Park is located on Andreas Schous Vej – named after Jørgen Schou’s father. But it was Johannes Schou, Jørgen’s grandfather, who took the first step back in 1912, moving from Kolding to Vamdrup to open a grocery store. Vamdrup was home to Denmark’s largest freight rail yard at the time, and Johannes saw potential. A few years later, he expanded into a building materials store and a paint shop. The business grew, and Schou Paint and Lacquer Factory in Vamdrup became a central player.
Jørgen’s father Andreas and his uncle Laurids took over the paint factory from their father. Later, Andreas was bought out of the family company and instead purchased his own business, Nielsen and Skov Pedersen, in Låsbygade in Kolding.
In 1966, the business moved to Vamdrup and continued to expand over the following years. By the late 1960s, it offered more than 8,000 items in glassware, porcelain, kitchen utensils, tools, and household appliances.
Andreas Schou was busy with his business in the early 1970s when tragedy struck – his brother Laurids died in an accident. Andreas stepped in as director and later bought the paint factory founded by his father.
Like Father, Like Son
Business and politics were regular topics at the dinner table in Jørgen’s childhood home. After school at Vester Vamdrup School, he would ride his bike to the family company on Industrivej, helping out by sweeping the warehouse or mowing the grass around the building.
"It was mostly the business talk that stuck with me," he recalls.
"At school, I opened a fruit stand, and I worked at the Shell gas station in Vamdrup. I also sold garden furniture on the side. I’ve been a little shopkeeper at heart since I was a big boy."
Jørgen’s father noticed this entrepreneurial spirit and made sure to bring the young businessman-in-training along on his travels.
"He was fantastic at including me. From the time I was about 13 or 14, I went with my father on business trips. He pulled me out of school, and we’d drive to Leipzig for trade fairs in glass, porcelain, and electrical goods. It took six hours – plus the border to East Germany, which could take another five or six hours to cross."
"We traveled to Alaska and continued on to Japan. That’s where our products were manufactured, before China really opened up. We’d go from factory to factory looking at ceramics and glass and much more. When we arrived at the factories, all the employees would be standing outside to greet us. It was incredibly exciting. We weren’t tourists, but I’ve seen the world."
Staying in the Family
It was always part of the plan that Andreas Schou’s youngest son would eventually take over the business. Jørgen thought he’d explore the world first, before returning to Vamdrup. After finishing high school in Kolding and business school at Niels Brock, he traveled to Canada to work as a volunteer at a larger company in the industry. No company in Europe was willing to open their doors to a young Schou.
"No one wanted me, so I went to the U.S. and Canada. There, they didn’t see us as competitors. It was an incredibly valuable experience for me. I always knew I’d return to Vamdrup and join the company, but I also wanted to try something else."
But in 1984, Andreas called his 24-year-old son back to the business. While the paint factory was thriving, Schou Hardware was struggling, and Jørgen took a position as sales manager. He shifted the company’s focus from the European markets of East Germany and Poland to the Far East – China and Taiwan.
"Several key employees had left and started their own companies. So bringing in a Schou provided more stability. I became sales manager, and five years later, I bought the company."
When Andreas Schou sold the paint factory to the Finnish company Teknos in 1990, Jørgen and his three siblings each received a sum of money. With it, Jørgen bought out his parents and siblings from Schou Hardware.
"None of my siblings wanted to buy in, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. My father had a principle – I couldn’t get it for free. Everything had to be split equally among his four children. He made us shareholders in the company early on, and I’ve done the same with my kids. It’s more rewarding to give with a warm hand than a cold one. I don’t own a company that my children aren’t a part of. It’s a family business. That way, you can share your passion with your children."
Do you have any advice for your children?
The most important thing is to live a happy life and take care of your family. Twenty years ago, I would have said: Take care of your work.
How does it feel to have achieved these results?
Of course, you can be proud of that. When I drive past Vision Park, I do think it’s pretty cool. But I don’t spend much time dwelling on it. We have to keep moving forward.