to Dorre

Welcome to the family business Dorre Home AB, with us you will find self-designed quality products at the right price!

Today, Dorre is run by the third generation within the family and at Dorre we have strived to always be at the forefront of trends and be able to offer our customers genuine and tasty products at a good price that is right on time. What we at Dorre mean by products at a good price means that we think that design products can also be bought for a good price, it does not have to cost a small fortune. We work continuously on what the market demands and what trends there are or what is coming in. We are definitely not a trend setter, but when the trend has started, then we are on the starting line prepared.

To keep up with today's rapid trends, we have an organization that makes it easy for us to go from thought to action, we do not need a long decision path to deliver new products. That is why we are the industry leader in picking out news for each new season; that is, spring and autumn. We usually deliver between 30 - 50 news that are right on time. Of course, this also means that we remove articles that we see have passed for this time and reached their peak.

Over the past five years, we have focused on three areas; Kitchen, Bar & Living. The first two are categories that Dorre has worked with for a long time and are genuinely good at. Living is the newest in the categories and the one that is most trend-sensitive, which we like, because here is the real challenge in ”to produce products that our customers yesterday did not know they wanted, but today must have ”. At Living, we sell everything that makes your home a little cozier, a little more functional and a little more fresh, you can call it a little fuzzy for home decor!

So imagine being able to work with your greatest interest, to be creative and constantly create new products for our customers. Design that is right in time is our motto and we would like to say that we are actually experts in that field. Products with a focus on design, function and quality at the right price are our idea and our customer is you who, like us, love interior design.

How it all started

Dorre was founded in Borlänge in 1963 and since the start, the aim has always been to be at the forefront and be able to offer our customers genuine and tasty products at the right price. When Ove and Inga-Lisa Johanssons started the company in the basement of Söpnarby, they sold their goods to e.g. PUB and NK in Stockholm. The products were often in forging, copper, wood and ceramics that were handmade by either local forces or purchased from suppliers in Sweden. After ten years, the company had grown out of the basement and moved to the premises that we still use for our business and since then expanded four times in different stages. Over the years, the company grew and the number of customers and resellers became more and more.

During the early 80's, the sons Christer and Lars stepped into the picture and slowly but surely they grew into the roles as business leaders. Hard work with many trips through Sweden for customer visits and exhibitions followed over the years. During this time, everything was bought from Sweden. With increasing competition and price pressure, suppliers began to be reviewed in the late 80s and early 90s, the focus was on Portugal. From Portugal you could find good quality copper at a good price, here you also found ceramics that were of interest. Poland was the next major exporter to Dorre, where forging and glass in particular were affordable. At the same time, trade fairs in Frankfurt in particular began to become more and more interesting, where contacts could be made with Asia, and therefore the next natural step for purchases was China. And since the end of the 90's and the beginning of the 00's, it is from Asia that most of the purchases come from, and with increased volume, we have gradually been able to make transport more and more efficient, especially with regard to the environment.

Dorre's journey since then has been stable where customers over the years have been traditional glass & porcelain shops around the country. With changing buying behavior, major players have stepped in and taken market shares, and even in recent days it is e-commerce with the largest and most aggressive growth. Dorre is everywhere and we think it is important to protect both the physical stores and to be available online.

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

The next step in the development was to acquire its own organization on site in China. In 2010, the step was taken and we acquired employees and an office in Shanghai. From there, all order placement, supplier contacts and quality and supplier follow-ups are handled.

In 2018, it was time for the third generation to step into the company. Although the sons Robin and Roy worked many hours in both warehouse and store, the roles now became completely different.

Today, Dorre has between 7-10 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.

Sustainability work & responsibility

Since its inception in 1963, Dorre's watchword has been quality at the right price. Quality is not just about satisfied customers, but we care about the entire supply chain, including our employees and suppliers. We work continuously for a good working environment for our employees where the working relationship must be safe, secure and follow all regulations.

When the production of our products was moved abroad, a routine was created for how we can ensure requirements for our products to be manufactured with regard to good working conditions and human rights. Before a new collaboration, we do a background check where we visit the supplier and their factory and 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 check that our requirements for working conditions, human rights and quality are met.

Environment

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

All container traffic that enters the port of Gothenburg is sent by train up to Insjön for the last leg to be transported by truck. By instead using trains for most of the route within Sweden, we minimize the impact on our environment.

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