From war-torn ruin to the world’s most environmentally friendly furniture factory
In 1947, post-war Norway was beset with resource shortages and poverty and in desperate need of rebuilding. In August of the same year, Johs. Vestre, who had previously been a sailor and a mechanical engineer, founded Johs. Vestre Mekaniske Verksted in Haugesund – in a war ruin. And with that, Vestre was born. What would be the first of numerous factories for the Vestre family business was established in an old German barracks in the coastal city of Haugesund. Despite the challenging conditions, his small venture managed to produce simple yet functional items like pipe constructions, saw clamps, and park benches.
These early products, including playground equipment, were Vestre's initial steps towards creating social meeting places. The business attracted attention early on, representing precisely what the industrial sector was looking for: a forward-thinking business with ideas extending beyond those of the traditional industries in the city. As Johs. himself said: “We must constantly make things better for the society in which we and our descendants live, something which cannot be achieved through the constant pursuit of material goods.” This way of thinking has become a prerequisite of Vestre and has been inherited through the generations that followed Johs. Vestre. Creating attractive outdoor environments which bring people together, with materials that last.
A family story
- 1947: Johs. Vestre founds Johs. Vestre Mekaniske Verksted in Haugesund.
- 1957: Vestre presents the Unikum exercise device, leading to substantial economic growth.
- 1979: Johs. Vestre’s son, Jan Vestre, becomes Managing Director.
- 1980: Vestre announces an ideas competition, with the result becoming the now familiar Hvilan bench. The success of the bench led to further economic growth for much of the following decade.
- 1988: The company faces financial difficulties, leading to bankruptcy. Jan Vestre and Elisabeth Preus Vestre, in partnership with Jahn Aamodt and Harald Obrestad, establishes Vestre Reime, based in Oslo.
- 1989: Vestre launches successful new products on the market, two versions of the City waste bin, which is still part of Vestre’s range today.
- 1994: Vestre wins a contract from Oslo Sporveier for 800 stainless waste bins. This marks a financial turning point.
- 1995: Jan Vestre becomes the sole owner, and by 1999, the company's name changes to Vestre AS.
- 2012: With the passing of Jan Vestre, his then 25 year old son, Jan Christian Vestre takes the helm of the company.
- 2013: Vestre opens its first factory, in Torsby, Sweden. It was designed by the renowned Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta.
- 2022: Opening of The Plus in Magnor, Norway, designed by the renowned Danish BIG Bjarke Ingels Group.
Just as Johs. created social meeting places with playground equipment in the 1950s, Vestre is still working to create sustainable and inclusive meeting places, with “the right to roam” as a guiding principle. The result: meeting places that exist across social, cultural, and economic differences. From Haugesund to Times Square.
