Clas Ohlson company was founded in 1918 by the technically minded Clas Ohlson (1895–1979), as a mail order business based in the Swedish village of Insjön, Dalarna. Initially, only manuals and technical literature were sold, thus allowing people who lived in rural communities to obtain literature that would otherwise be unavailable. He opened his first shop in Insjön in 1926, but it was not until 1989, when the company opened a store in a shopping centre in central Stockholm, that it expanded into the retail business. The first store outside Sweden was opened 1991 in Oslo in Norway and in 1999, the
Great Mills (DIY) the Somer Valley Enterprise Park. In January 2015, Great Mills, Paulton, was purchased by Wickes, which was owned by Focus DIY, from September 2000 until December 2004, being sold to Travis Perkins. The sale was completed in February 2005. In November 2017, the Great Mills brand was purchased, and relaunched as an online retail store. Great Mills (DIY) Great Mills was a large DIY chain, consisting of around 98 stores across the United Kingdom. In December 2000, the business was bought by Focus DIY, which in turn entered administration in May 2011, with all stores closing by July 2011. Most