Petter Anker Stordalen[needs IPA] (born 29 November 1962 in Porsgrunn, Norway) is a Norwegian investor, hotel “tycoon”, propertydeveloper and a self-proclaimed environmentalist. He has an estimated personal net worth of NOK 7-11 billion (USD 1.2 bn according to Forbes list of billionaires 2012) stemming from investments in hotels, shopping centers and properties. Stordalen is a self-made business man. Stordalen owns Strawberry, a corporate group consisting of ten companies operating in real estate, finance, hotels and art. Through Strawberry Hospitality Group, Stordalen owns Nordic Choice Hotels, consisting of 190 hotels and employing 13 000 people. In the later stages of his career, Stordalen has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors together with his wife, doctor and environmentalist Gunhild Anker Stordalen, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations within environment/climate change and scientific research programs through The Stordalen Foundation, established in 2011.
Early life and education
Stordalen was born in Porsgrunn in Telemark, Norway to grocer Knut Anker Stordalen (1933–94) and Kari Stordalen. At the age of ten he began working in his father’s grocery store and at the age of twelve he began selling strawberries at the local market. He already then displayed his acumen for business, being named “Norway’s top strawberry seller” in the local paper, Porsgrunns Dagblad, in 1974, beating out his competition of 50- to 60-year-old market ladies. Following high school he attended Kjøpmannsinstituttet for one year, he then managed his father’s store for a short time before going off to the Norwegian School of Marketing.
Career
Shopping centers
At 24 he took over what was, at the time, the largest shopping center in Norway, City Syd, in Trondheim as the country’s youngest shopping center manager. This coincided with his finals at the Norwegian School of Marketing so rumor has it that he had his secretary compile and type his final paper. After posting record profits at City Syd he became property director in Atle Brynestad’s company Made in. As property director Stordalen was the architect behind the conversion of the former market area in downtown Trondheim and the re-launch of Liertoppen shopping centre outside Oslo. He was also put in charge of the Bik Bok brand
Following a number of transactions within the Brynestad system Stordalen, at the age of 29, found himself an employee of Realkreditt’s (later DnB) property development company. Together with a group of investors Stordalen bought the historical department store Steen & Strøm in downtown Oslo. The group recouped their investment of NOK 20 million in the first five days of the reopening.[15] The purchase of Steen & Strøm signaled the start of a wave of acquisitions, and in the span of three years the newly formed company, Steen & Strøm Invest, became the country’s largest holder of commercial real estate. The expansion lasted until 1996 when Stordalen had a falling out with the largest shareholder, Stein Erik Hagen, and was asked to leave his position as CEO.
Summary
| Petter Anker Stordalen | |
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Petter Stordalen (2016)
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| Born | November 29, 1962 Porsgrunn, Norway |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Occupation | Investor
Owner of Strawberry, a corporate group consisting of several companies such as Strawberry Art & Design, Strawberry Capital, Strawberry Equity, Strawberry Properties, Strawberry Hospitality Group and hereunder Nordic Choice Hotels. |
| Net worth | NOK 7-11 billion |
| Spouse(s) | Gunhild Anker Stordalen |
Petter Stordalen net worth: Petter Stordalen is a Norwegian hotel baron who has a net worth of $1.2 billion. Petter Stordalen made most of his fortune from investments in hotels, shopping centers and properties. He is the owner and CEO of Nordic Choice Hotels that has more than 170 hotels throughout Scandinavia. It was in 2012, when he opened seven new hotels and led a group of investors to take over Norway’s second-largest shopping center chain. Among the most remarkable things Petter has ever done is rebuilding his sports car to be the world’s first bio-fueled Ferrari. Furthermore, he proposed to his supermodel-turned-physician wife Gunhild on top of a mountain on New Year’s Eve 2008, and then he spent $5 million on the most expensive Scandinavian wedding of all time. As of March 2013, Petter is ranked as the 6th richest person in Norway.
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