to Dorre

Welcome to the family business Dorre, here you will find custom-designed quality products at the right price!

Today, Dorre is run by the third generation of the family, and at Dorre, we have strived to always be at the forefront of trends and to offer our customers genuine and tasteful products at a good price that are timely. What we at Dorre mean by products at a good price is that we believe design products can also be purchased at a good price; they don't have to cost a small fortune. We continuously work on what the market demands and what trends exist or are on the way in. We are definitely not trendsetters, but when the trend kicks off, we are at the starting line prepared.

To keep up with today's fast trends, we have an organization that allows us to easily go from thought to action; we do not need a long decision-making process to deliver new products. That is why we are industry leaders in bringing out new items for each new season; that is, spring and autumn. Usually, we deliver between 30 - 50 new items that are timely. This also means, of course, that we remove articles that we see have passed for this time and reached their peak.

Under de senaste fem åren har vi fokuserat på tre områden; Kök, Bar & Living. De två förstnämnda är kategorier som Dorre arbetat länge med och är genuint duktiga på. Living är den nyaste i kategorierna och den som är mest trendkänslig vilket vi gillar, för här finns den verkliga utmaningen i ”"to develop products that our customers didn't know they wanted yesterday, but today must have." Within Living, we sell everything that makes your home a little cozier, a little more functional, and a little fresher; you could call it a bit whimsical for home decor!

Design that is timely is our motto and we would like to claim that we are indeed experts in that area. Products with a focus on design, function, and quality at the right price is our idea and what we want to offer our customers. 

How it all started

In 1963, Dorre was founded in Borlänge and since the start, the aim has always been to stay at the forefront and offer our customers genuine and tasteful products at the right price. When Ove and Inga-Lisa Johansson started the company in the basement of Söpnarby, they sold their goods to, among others, PUB and NK in Stockholm. The products were often made of wrought iron, copper, wood, and ceramics that were handcrafted either by local artisans or purchased from suppliers in Sweden. After ten years, the company had outgrown the basement and moved to the premises that we still use for our operations today, which have since been expanded four times in different phases. Over the years, the company grew, and the number of customers and retailers increased more and more.

In the early 80s, the sons Christer and Lars entered the scene and slowly but surely grew into their roles as company leaders. Hard work with many trips across Sweden for customer visits and exhibitions followed over the years. During this time, everything was purchased from Sweden. With increasing competition and price pressure, suppliers were reviewed in the late 80s and early 90s, and the focus turned to Portugal. From Portugal, one could find good quality copper at a good price, and here they also found ceramics that were of interest. Poland was the next major exporter to Dorre, where especially wrought iron and glass were affordable. At the same time, trade fairs, especially in Frankfurt, became more and more interesting where contacts could be made with Asia, and therefore the next natural step for purchases was China. Since the late 90s and early 00s, the majority of purchases have come from Asia, and with increased volume, we have gradually been able to make the transports more and more efficient, especially with regard to the environment.

Dorres resa sedan dess varit stabil där kunderna genom åren varit traditionella glas- & porslinsbutiker runtom i hela landet. I och med ändrade köpbeteende har större aktörer klivit in och tagit marknadsandelar samt även på senare dagar är det E-handeln med störst och aggressivast tillväxt. Dorre finns överallt och vi tycker det är viktigt att värna om både fysiska butikerna och att vara tillgängliga online.

Our popular Dorre store opened its doors in the early 90s and has since grown in size, making it a perfect store for you who are looking for gifts, inspiration, or just something for yourself at a warehouse shop price!

The next step in the development was to establish our own organization on site in China. In 2010, we took the step and acquired employees and an office in Shanghai. From there, all order placement, supplier contacts, as well as quality and supplier follow-ups are managed.

In 2018, it was time for the third generation to step into the company. Although the sons Robin and Roy had worked many hours in both the warehouse and the store, the roles were now completely different. A few years ago, the brother trio was joined by Remy entering the company.

Today, Dorre has between 9-10 employees depending on the season, and we are represented all over Sweden with permanent showrooms in both Stockholm and Gothenburg. And we actually want to claim that a product from Dorre is found in 70% of all households in Sweden.

Hållbarhetsarbete & ansvar

Since its inception in 1963, Dorres' guiding principle has been quality at the right price. Quality is not just about satisfied customers; we care about the entire supply chain, including our employees and suppliers. We continuously work for a good working environment for our employees where the working conditions should be safe, secure, and comply with all regulations.

When the production of our products was moved abroad, a routine was established for how we can ensure requirements that our products are manufactured with consideration for good working conditions and human rights. Before a new collaboration, we conduct a background check where we visit the supplier and their factory, as well as through regular follow-ups and contacts.

To get closer to our suppliers, we have an office in Shanghai with staff who continuously make both planned and unannounced visits to suppliers to ensure that our requirements for working conditions, human rights, and quality are met.

Environment

We work a lot with our supply chain to optimize transportation and how we package our products without compromising safety and quality. Waste from packaging is recycled and at an early stage, we try to influence the choice of raw materials, both for the product and for the packaging.

All container traffic that arrives at the Port of Gothenburg is sent by train up to Insjön for the final stretch to be transported by truck. By instead using trains for the majority of the distance within Sweden, we minimize our impact on the environment.

We always strive to improve our way of working and often review sustainable options to reduce our impact on our environment.

Read more about our sustainability efforts and what we strive for här.