Flying Tiger Copenhagen

Flying Tiger Copenhagen
Company type
Privately held company
IndustryRetail
Founded1995 (1995) in Copenhagen, Denmark
FoundersLennart Lajboschitz (founder)
Suzanne Lajboschitz (co-founder)
Headquarters
Copenhagen
,
Denmark
Number of locations
1,000+
Area served
Worldwide
Revenue5.2 billion DKK (2024)
OwnerZebra A/S
Websiteflyingtiger.com
Footnotes / references
[1]

Flying Tiger Copenhagen is a Danish retail chain offering a wide and diverse range of affordable everyday products and seasonal items. The assortment spans multiple categories, including home décor, decorations, gifts, stationery, toys, and creative hobby products (DIY/crafts).

The products are characterised by a playful, colourful, and often functional design, with a focus on both aesthetics and usability. The range is continuously updated with new items that reflect seasons, holidays, and current trends.

Its first shop opened in Copenhagen in 1995, and the chain now (as of 2026) operates 1,000+ shops across 40+ countries, with more than 93 million customers.[2] Flying Tiger's name derives from similarities between the Danish pronunciation of the animal name tiger (IPA: [ˈtsʰiːɐ]) and the Danish word tier (IPA: [ˈtsʰiˀɐ]), used to denote a 10 kroner coin; in the first stores in Denmark, all items cost 10 kroner.[3]

The stores are typically located in high-traffic, tier-one retail destinations - designed with a recognisable maze-like layout, encouraging exploration and dwell time among customers of all ages. The assortment spans 13 product categories, ranging from home and kitchenware to toys, stationery and seasonal items.

History

Logo in some countries until June 2016

In 1988, Lennart Lajboschitz and his wife Suzanne opened their first store, Zebra, in Copenhagen. The store sold surplus goods, umbrellas, and other accessories. In 1995, Lajboschitz opened the first Tiger storefront in Islands Brygge, Copenhagen.[4][5][2]

In 2012, EQT Partners acquired a 70% stake in the company by investing in Flying Tiger's parent company Zebra A/S.[6] In 2014, Tiger Stores Ireland won Company of the Year and Best Small Company at the Retail Excellence Ireland awards.[7]

In January 2015, the company appointed former The Body Shop director Xavier Vidal as its new chief executive officer.[8] In 2016, the company officially changed its name worldwide to Flying Tiger Copenhagen; it has previously used other names due to the name "Tiger" not being allowed in all markets.[9]

In 2021, the company was sold by its founder, Lajboschitz, and EQT Partners to Treville, a Danish investment firm.[10] That year, Flying Tiger also began selling their products online.

Before June 2016, the brand operated as Tiger (or Tiger Copenhagen) in most markets, and as TGR in Sweden and Norway.[5]

Markets

Flying Tiger Copenhagen stores can be found worldwide, with a European core network owned and operated at Group level. Most markets outside Europe are franchise partnerships.

Tiger shop (old branding) in Putney, London, England

After its initial opening and operation across the Kingdom of Denmark, Tiger expanded abroad to Iceland in 2001.[11] In 2005, the company opened its first shop in Britain, in Basingstoke, later followed by other parts in the United Kingdom. They no longer operate in Northern Ireland as of 2021 due to poor sales.[12] In 2008, Tiger also opened up its first stores in Spain (Madrid),[13] the Netherlands (Arnhem)[14] and Sweden (Malmö).[15] In 2011, the company opened its first shop in Italy, in Turin, with Italy now the chain's largest market globally.[16] It also opened in a number of other countries hereafter.[17]

Tiger shop (old branding) at Amerikamura in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan.
Flying Tiger shop (new branding) in Perugia, Italy

2012 marked the chain's expansion to markets outside of Europe with the opening of a Tiger store in Japan.[18] The company opened its first store in the United States in New York City in May 2015,[19][20] a 5,000-square-foot/152 mq store in Manhattan's Flatiron District.[21] In November 2018, the company announced the opening of four shops in Massachusetts and planned to open 20 more locations in New England in the next few years.[1] However, in November 2020, Flying Tiger closed all of its stores in the United States.[22] The chain did not open across the border in Canada, but Flying Tiger have signalled plans to launch a store there too.[23]

In 2022, Flying Tiger Copenhagen opened its first store in the United Arab Emirates at the Dubai Hills Mall[24] and also its first in Saudi Arabia the same year.[25] The chain expanded in Asia-Pacific markets from 2023, with openings in Indonesia and the Philippines, followed by Australia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.[26] In 2024, Flying Tiger opened its first store in Turkey, in the Kanyon Shopping Mall of Istanbul, and since then rapidly expanded in the country.[27][28] In January 2026, Flying Tiger Copenhagen shut down all their stores in Malta, exiting the Maltese market entirely, due to structural market reasons rather than low sales.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b DeAngelis, Allison (2018-11-21). "'We don't just want to be normal': Danish retailer Flying Tiger expands in Mass". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  2. ^ a b "Flying Tiger Copenhagen Annual Report 2023" (PDF). Zebra A/S.
  3. ^ "Tiger-koncept opstod ved et tilfælde". Politiken (in Danish). 24 April 2005. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  4. ^ "This is us!". Flying Tiger Copenhagen. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  5. ^ a b Bang, Nicolai (3 June 2014). "Tiger tjente kvart milliard i 2013" (in Danish). Jyllands-Posten. Archived from the original on 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  6. ^ Reichman, Carmen (10 October 2012). "EQT buys Danish Zebra's Tiger". unquote.com. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  7. ^ "The Punt: Tiger burning bright with two awards". Irish Independent. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  8. ^ Tugby, Luke (19 January 2015). "Value retailer Tiger appoints Xavier Vidal as new chief executive". Retail Week. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  9. ^ Van Looveren, Yoni (2016-04-18). "Flying Tiger chooses a new international name". RetailDetail EU. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  10. ^ Chopping, Dominic (10 February 2021). "EQT sells Flying Tiger Copenhagen to Treville". Private Equity News. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  11. ^ "Flying Tiger Copenhagen leverer rekordresultat og åbner butikker i syv nye lande | Flying Tiger Copenhagen". via.ritzau.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  12. ^ Butler, Sarah (20 May 2016). "Danish retailer Tiger eating up competition on Britain's high streets". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  13. ^ "Tiger Copenhagen abre en España su tienda online". MarketingNews (in Spanish). 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  14. ^ "Stormloop bij Flying Tiger: hele dag alles voor 1 euro". Het Parool. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  15. ^ Viktorsson, Julius ViktorssonTextJulius (2016-06-30). "TGR byter namn till Flying Tiger Copenhagen". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  16. ^ Parlangeli, Diletta (2016-08-05). "Tiger, dove nasce il design che ha conquistato l'Italia". Wired Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  17. ^ Krogstad, Bjarne (2017-10-10). "Nå kommer denne dansken til Alta". Altaposten (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  18. ^ "Flying Tiger Copenhagen leverer rekordresultat og åbner butikker i syv nye lande | Flying Tiger Copenhagen". via.ritzau.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  19. ^ Wolpow, Nina (8 April 2015). "You Can Now Import Your Handlebar Mustache Directly From Copenhagen". Refinery 29. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  20. ^ Hourihane, Ann Marie (9 December 2014). "'We hate indifference': the rise of Tiger Stores". Irish Times. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  21. ^ Xie, Jenny (17 April 2015). "6 Fast Facts About Tiger, the Company Bringing Super Affordable Danish Home Decor to America". Curbed. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  22. ^ Mishkin, Mike (16 October 2020). "Flying Tiger Copenhagen Closing All Stores".
  23. ^ Neerman, Pauline (2025-09-09). "Flying Tiger continues growth with expansion to Malaysia, Canada, Balkans". RetailDetail EU. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  24. ^ Report, Gulf News (2022-03-24). "UAE's Azadea Group brings Flying Tiger Copenhagen to Dubai". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  25. ^ "Alhokair opens first Flying Tiger Copenhagen store in KSA". Arab News. 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  26. ^ Tan, Mei Ling (2025-08-01). "Danish Brand Flying Tiger Copenhagen Debuts In Singapore, Amplifying Asia-pacific Presence". Retail News Asia. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  27. ^ "Danimarka markası Flying Tiger Copenhagen Türkiye'de kapılarını açtı". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  28. ^ "Flying Tiger Copenhagen, Türkiye'deki İlk Yılını Kanyon'da Kutladı - Mall Report". Mall Report - AVM ve Perakende Dergisi (in Turkish). 2025-10-06. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  29. ^ Glennon, Nicole (28 September 2021). "Flying Tiger launches online store". Irish Examiner.
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