Top Danish CEO in new job: Due to head up 17 Danish shopping Centres

Jesper Faurholdt, currently CEO for the French construction products group, Saint Gobain Distribution Denmark, will as of February 1st, 2019 begin his new position as CEO for Danske Shoppingcentre, which owns 17 of the most well known shopping centres in Denmark. Michael Nielsen, former CEO for ATP Ejendomme, will be the new chief financial officer.

Jesper Faurholdt has in the course of his career in retail focused on developing concepts and strategies that result in excellent customer experiences and outcomes. Notably, he was CEO for Kvickly with its more than 8,500 employees and annual revenue of about 11 billion DKK.

It is precisely his expertise with providing the customers with an optimal shopping experience and enabling the shops to live up to the customers’ expectations, that are amongst the primary reasons for the 49-year old Jesper Faurholdt to be announced as the new CEO for Danske Shoppingcentre today. Danske Shoppingcentre own 17 shopping centres, is visited by almost 70 million customers annually and has a yearly revenue of nearly 10 billion DKK.

“Jesper Faurholdt has the commercial clout and a great deal of experience with working strategically to deliver good customer experiences. Which is why Jesper is ideal as CEO for Danske Shoppingcentre, where the good shopping experience is of paramount importance to the shops and its customers,” says André Scharf, Chairman of the Board for Danske Shoppingcentre.

Danske Shoppingcentre was established in January of 2018, after ATP bought 50% of Danica Pensions centre portfolio for about 7 billion DKK. Danske Shoppingcentre has since then acquired herningCentret and obtained full ownership of Randers Storcenter. Jesper Faurholdt will be Danske Shoppingcentre's first CEO, and will take up the position on February 1st, 2019. He is looking forward to making the centres even more relevant to customers and shops.

“I see the shopping centres as experience centres, where family and friends spend quality time together, regardless of whether the aim is to shop, eat or something else entirely. Fortunately, this is becoming an increasingly accepted view and there has been both an increase in customers as well as a greater revenue generation in the 17 centres over the last few years. “This trend must continue, and it will require additional investment, which I look forward to spearheading,” says Jesper Faurholdt and points out that there ought to be a greater interconnectivity between physical and digital shopping in the centres.

Jesper Faurholdt will have at his side Michael Nielsen, who will be the chief financial officer for Danske Shoppingcentre. Michael Nielsen is employed by ATP Ejendomme until the end of the year.

“It is wonderful that we have Michael Nielsen on board with us at Danske Shoppingcentre. “He is a great asset and has a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge about the centres,” says Jesper Faurholdt.

Michael Nielsen looks forward to being able to focus fully on Danske Shoppingcentre, which he was instrumental in founding.

“Danske Shoppingcentre is very dear to me. It is an enormously exciting industry that is developing at great speed and with our attractive centres we are well positioned in the marketplace to give the customer the very best shopping experience. I am really looking forward to implementing this vision with Jesper Faurholdt and the other members of the team,” says Michael Nielsen.

For further information please contact our press officer, Tim Smidemann, on 23482651.

Blue book:
Jesper Faurholdt, 49 years old, is currently CEO for the French construction products group, Saint Gobain Distribution Danmark. He has held this title since June 2015. Prior to that he had a career within COOP, where his last position was as CEO for the Kvickly-branch until January 2014. Moreover, he has previously worked for both IKEA and Dansk Supermarked.