Four generations of family business.
Photograph: kwbruun.com
Text: Mariano Anthony Davies
K.W. Bruun & Co A/S is a Danish family-fund-owned group with roots dating back to 1914, when Karl Wilhelm Bruun sold his first cars. K.W. Bruun was a pioneer and a skilful merchant who created a solid foundation for the company that today is led by the 4th generation of the Bruun family; its Chairman of the Board today is Maria Bruun-Lander.
"Money should never be the goal. Only the means." This was one of the rules of life for Karl Wilhelm (K.W.) Bruun - the founder of K.W. Bruun & Co.
Potted history
K.W. Bruun’s lifelong passion for cars started in 1907 when he sat in the back seat of his father's brand-new Oldsmobile with a tiller. By 1925, he had become an importer for Fiat, and in 1930, he founded British Motors, importing Hillman, Humber, and Sunbeam.
When Denmark was occupied in 1940, K.W. Bruun hid 150 cars in barns and friends' houses and turned the car dealership in Østerbro into an art gallery. By focusing on art, peat, shoe soles and 'hidden cars', K. W. Bruun made it through the war and came through well - even with a profit and without having to lay off any employees, the latter of which was very important to him.
In 1952, British Motors changed its name to Interdan, the same year Peugeot was also imported. In the 1960s, more brands were added: Trabant, Wartburg, Datsun, and DAF, and in the 1980s, Dodge, Alfa Romeo, and Nissan. Over the years, K.W. Bruun has imported over 25 different car brands to Denmark.
The Bruun family has, with Karl Wilhelm Bruun and wife Ragnhild Bruun, roots in Kgs. Lyngby, where the couple built Egebakken on Caroline Amalievej in 1937 and lived for many years until they passed away. The construction of Classic Car House in Kgs. Lyngby is a great source of pride for the family, both personally and professionally.
K.W. Bruun & Co today
K.W. Bruun & Co is today owned by two family foundations - K.W. Bruun & his wife’s Family Foundation and Ragnhild Bruun's Foundation. These are now led by Maria Bruun-Lander, who is the 4th generation after the founder. The group consists of five divisions with over 900 employees.
K.W. Bruun Import A/S is one of the largest car importers in the Nordic region, with car and spare parts imports of Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Mitsubishi in both Denmark and Sweden, as well as Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Hongqi and Voyah in Denmark. K.W. Bruun Import is also a modern logistics company with logistics centres in Greve (Denmark) and Stockholm (Sweden). These handle the distribution of spare parts and accessories to their network of over 500 dealers and workshops.
K.W. Bruun NxT A/S focuses on developing digital business concepts, including Bilabonnement, Auto.nu and the Quickpoint workshop chain.
Investment activities in the Group are handled partly by K.W. Bruun Invest A/S, which invests in and operates residential rental properties, securities, and alternative investments, and partly by K.W. Bruun Collection A/S, which manages a portfolio of classic investment cars.
The group's passion for cars and associated cultural heritage for more than 100 years now culminates in the establishment of Classic Car House A/S.
Classic car house
After three years of extensive planning, conversion and construction, Classic Car House, the largest classic car universe in the Nordics (25.000 square metres of historical time capsule), could finally open its doors to the public in August 2023.
At Classic Car House, visitors can experience cars from around the world and the spectacular stories that uniquely accompany them.
In addition to the museum, Classic Car House offers storage in a specially built car hotel with space for 200 cars, as well as a workshop specialising in classic cars. The venue also houses its oar dealership, which offers classic car buying, selling, and renting. Furthermore, within the old Virumgaard building, there is a restaurant, Willys Bistro, along with event and banquet halls and meeting facilities designed to accommodate the wishes and needs of a broader audience.
On 27 September 2024, the family-owned firm K.W. Bruun & Co A/S announced the sale of K.W. Bruun Import A/S and K.W. Bruun NxT A/S to UK-based Global Auto Holdings Limited, which has cemented its place among the largest automotive retail groups globally across the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland with a total turnover of approximately DKK 45 billion.