60 years of low prices

The year is 1963. The Beatles release their first album and John F. Kennedy is the President of the United States. Biltema's founder, Sten-Åke Lindholm, asked himself, why are car parts and accessories so expensive?

It all started with a trip to Andorra in a beige Volvo Amazon Sport. Sten-Åke Lindholm discovered that extra lights cost 20 kronor there, compared to Sweden where the price was a whopping 72 kronor. He bought 50 extra lights and sold them quickly, and then decided to buy an additional 500.

In 1963, post-order sales of car accessories started in a simple catalog. The name came about by chance, "Tema" came from the dormant company Tema Byggdetaljer. After a while, he added the word "bil" to create a more descriptive name.

Sten-Åke rented a space in a demolition house in Linköping, and the timing was perfect. Mass motoring was just beginning, but car manufacturers had a monopoly on car parts and sold them at high prices. Sten-Åke purchased the same car parts from German suppliers for significantly lower prices, and was able to sell them at competitive prices, quickly building up a customer base.

Over time, Biltema has expanded at a faster pace and has now grown into a retail giant with 167 stores around the Nordics. Despite this growth, they have always held true to their original promise of quality at low prices, which has made them a beloved retailer for many customers.