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) acquire Great Mills. In May 2011, Focus DIY entered administration. Some of the Focus-branded former Great Mills stores were sold, while others were left empty. The original flagship Great Mills store in Paulton stood empty since the closure until June 2015, when work began to transform it to Wickes. Offices opposite the original store served as the headquarters for the Great Mills company, but stood largely empty after the Focus acquisition. The former offices were mainly used as storage for Focus DIY equipment, and also as a call centre for the same company. The office building is now part of