Egmont's founder, Egmont Harald Petersen, grew up in poverty in a Copenhagen apartment with his single mother. At 17, he established his own printing press, with his mother pledging furniture, paintings, pots and even her sewing machine to finance his ambition. This marked the beginning of Egmont Harald Petersen's career and the start of our story. Founded with Egmont's vision to bring stories to the world, more than 140 years later, that mission remains unchanged: We bring stories to life.
Egmont Harald Petersen founds the company and names it after his mother, Petrine: 'P. Petersens Bogtrykkeri'.
Egmont Harald Petersen frequently travelled to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, leaders in the printing industry, to stay updated with new technologies. In 1892, he became the first in Denmark to print a picture in coloured tones. Egmont was always ready to invest in development to stay ahead — just as we are today.
Egmont Harald Petersen begins printing the magazine Damernes Blad, and a year later, he publishes the magazine. He changes the name of the magazine to Hjemmet and places strong women at the forefront – a visionary move at the time. Thus, Egmont Harald Petersen also becomes a publisher, which remains a significant part of the foundation of Story House Egmont.
Egmont Harald Petersen builds a magazines for children and young people printing house and editorial office, Gutenberghus, in Copenhagen – named after the inventor of the
printing press, Johann Gutenberg. When Egmont Harald Petersen dies in 1914, his will ensures that a portion of the company's profits will be used to improve conditions
for others less fortunate.
Dan Folke, director of Gutenberghus, discovers Donald Duck and brings the beloved character to Scandinavia as Anders And, developing the Anders And magazine.
In the following years Egmont expands into German-speaking countries, to the UK and
later to Eastern Europe to publish books and magazines for children and young people.
Egmont Kids Media and Egmont Magazines merge under the name Egmont Publishing. E-commerce and agencies are also part of this division with Jollyroom – the largest e-commerce in the Nordics for children's products – as the first e-commerce and Klintberg Niléhn – a leading agency in content – as the first agency.
Egmont Publishing becomes Story House Egmont. The name change reflects the significant business development the company has undergone. We are publishers at heart, but we are more than that, and the company now stands on three solid pillars: media, agencies and e-commerce.
Story House Egmont acquires Bamse Förlaget, home to Sweden’s most beloved bear. Egmont’s relationship with Bamse goes all the way back to the 1960s. Today, Bamse brings joy to millions of Swedes through reading, games, crafts, toys, films, theatre, amusement parks and much more – spreading values of kindness, equality, and friendship.
The media division in Story House consolidates across Sweden, Norway and Denmark to leverage synergies, connections and experience, aiming to deliver even more quality content to readers across media, platforms and borders.
Today we are one of the largest media companies in the Nordics, still inspired by Egmont Harald Petersen's entrepreneurial spirit and social responsibility. With strong media brands, e-commerce and agencies, we bring stories to life through building growth businesses, producing world-class content, creating strong consumer communities and usage of technology and AI.