Åhléns is one of Sweden's most well-known brands and leading retailers. Its nationwide retail chain consists of 72 stores in 60 towns throughout Sweden. Åhléns also operates home products stores in Norway and sales of media products via Internet shopping at www.ahlens.com.

Åhléns' operations are focused on five business areas: Åhléns Fashion, Home, Media, Beauty, and Club/Internet - in which customers will find Fashion Clothing, Home Furnishings, Books, CDs, Multimedia, Toys, Cosmetics and Beauty products. Åhléns has a turnover of around 4 billion Swedish kronor (VAT not included) and employs 4,200 staff.

The origin of the present Ahlens was the mail-order company Åhléns & Holm, which was founded by Johan Petter Åhléns and Erik Holm in 1899. In 1976 the Tempo Chain merged with Epa, and in 1985 all the department stores were reprofiled as Åhléns. Since 1988, Åhléns has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Axel Johnson PLC.

Åhléns nurtures a strong specialized trading concept based on the following areas: Home, Fashion, Beauty and Media. Choice, quality and value for money are keywords for Åhléns purchasers. Åhléns has purchasing offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and New Delhi with the aim of maintaining close contact with its suppliers.

Åhléns Far East Ltd is also the Asian buying office for Anttila, one of the biggest non-food retailers in Finland and part of the leading trading company, Kesko. Anttilas' four retail concepts are:
• Anttila department stores
• Kodin Ykkonen - department stores for home goods and interior decoration
• Anttila Mail Order business
• NetAnttila on-line department store

In 2003, there were more than 25 million customers visiting Anttila stores and website, with sales (VAT included) totalling € 560 million. Anttila employs 3,000 staff and is a member of the International Group of Department Stores (IGDS).