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The one-time ice hockey player combines home furnishings with philanthropy
Former sports stars often become commentators or motivational speakers, but not one-time ice hockey player Thomas Lundgren, who says he “ran away from freezing cold Sweden”, the country of his birth. “You have to be pretty tough to say ‘I’m fed up with this’,” says Lundgren of his decision to quit a sport he had pursued since his childhood.
He went to the Middle East to work as a decorating consultant for IKEA, starting in Saudi Arabia in 1983 and staying with the retail company for 10 years. In 1993, Lundgren claims he was visited by an angel who told him to save the world from the giant home-furnishing brand. “I am the least likely consultant in the world,” he admits. “I only sell things I like.”
For two years, Lundgren had doors slammed in his face as he ran around trying to secure the funding for his enterprise; he even took to sporting fake glasses in an attempt to look older. But his first THE One store opened in Abu Dhabi in 1996, offering a flamboyant, youthful take on the home-furnishings market.
THE One shops are known as “theatres”, with a “cast” of employees and opening hours called “show times”; Lundgren would prefer his customers to be “fans”. “The world is full of traders; what makes THE One different is that we are much more passionate,” he says.
The chain has now expanded to 16 stores around the world, including Bahrain, across the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Latvia, and Lundgren’s homeland, Sweden. There are ambitious plans to grow further – one potential market is India – plus impressive charity schemes. “We are not just handling commodities; we are in a social enterprise and must try to give something back,” says Lundgren.
THE One encourages physically and mentally challenged adults to work in its stores and Lundgren wants to develop the company’s links with the community by establishing local schools. “Good people are the hardest thing for a company to find and talent comes in all forms; I want to build a company open to all that,” he says.
Lundgren’s “Big Hairy Scary Goal” is to have established 202 stores by 2020, coupled with 202 schools worldwide. Since January, THE One has pledged one per cent of its turnover to provide higher education for underprivileged children. As Lundgren reminds his staff: “My task is to take THE One somewhere retail has never gone before.”
Omer Ali; portrait by Daryl Vischer
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