Passing of Kinnarps founder

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our founder Jarl Andersson at the grand age of 94.

His business life began in 1942; when the young couple Jarl and Evy Andersson decided to buy a factory that was for sale in Kinnarp, a village close to their childhood home in Västergötland, Sweden. Their offer of 14 000 SEK for the factory was accepted and the history of Kinnarps began. 
During the first years Mr Andersson himself manufactured fine furniture together with two employees. At the beginning of the fifties Kinnarps shifted their business to start mass production and in 1951 Jarl and Evy Andersson decided to invest in Kinnarps first complete range of office furniture – an investment which turned out to be highly successful. The couple were delighted to see how their company developed and grew, introducing new, bigger and more modern production plants. 
Today Kinnarps has a turnaround of 350M EURO and distribution in 40 countries. The headquarters is still in Kinnarp, Sweden, and the company is still family owned. Both children and grandchildren of Jarl and Evy Andersson are active within the company. Henry Jarlsson, the oldest son, has been the CEO since 1973.

Jarl Andersson was not only a talented leader with clear-sighted visions, he was also an optimist. Jarl was constructive by nature and always saw the solutions instead of the obstacles. His forward-thinking spirit and creativity has born the stamp to both Kinnarps culture as well its business philosophy. 
Mr Andersson had retired from the day-to-day business, but still visited Kinnarps headquarters regularly – almost daily - to visit employees and customers.
Jarl will be sadly missed by his family, friends and all Kinnarps employees but leaves behind a lasting legacy and many happy memories.