History
In 1972, the accession of the Kingdom of Denmark to the EU and the associated
facilitation of border traffi c resulted in an increase in the cross-border trade.
Following this change, our Danish neighbours were allowed, in limited
measure, to privately import, free of duty, delicacies, beverages and tobacco
goods, which were cheaper in Germany due to the lower excise and value added
taxes.
Against this background, the Danish businessman Antoni Andresen, who
already operated retail businesses along the German-Danish border, founded
the company CALGROS Andresen GmbH & Co KG in 1975. Although this
company initially served to supply its own markets, it developed over the
years into a wholesale business, also winning as customers its competitors
in the cross-border trade.
In 1987, Andresen sold the wholesale business to SPAR Handels AG. Because
SPAR had already gained experience in the cross-border trade at the Flensburg
location with its own branch, the new subsidiary company CALGROS was a
sensible complement to the company portfolio. At the end of the 1990s, the
SPAR border and CALGROS divisions were amalgamated into a single
business under the SPAR umbrella.
Since then, CALGROS Andresen GmbH has been responsible for the supply
of cross-border trade on the German side and has steadily extended its
specialisation in this area of business over the years.
At the beginning of 2006, EDEKA AG took over SPAR. At the same time,
EDEKA Handelsgesellschaft Nord mbH became the new sole shareholder of
CALGROS Andresen GmbH. Bolstered by this strong parent company, CALGROS
is continuing the successful corporate policy of the past years.
