Who owns Fristads?
Fristads is owned by Hultafors Group (Sweden), which has owned the brand since 1 March 2021.[1][2]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Hultafors Group — our brands, Hultafors Group AB. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Hultafors Group AB reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇸🇪 Sweden, Gothenburg
- Origin
- 🇸🇪 Sweden, Fristad
- Founded
- 1925 by John Magnuson
- Category
- Apparel, footwear & accessories › Fashion apparel › Workwear
- Trademark registrant
- Fristads AB (USPTO)
- Last verified
- · 3 sources
About Fristads
Fristads has made workwear since 1925, when John Magnuson began manufacturing it in the village of Fristad just outside Borås in Sweden — the brand still carries the village's name. It sells across most of Europe on the line "legends of workwear since 1925", and its materials are tested in the group's own laboratory in Borås before they reach a garment.
Trademark record for Fristads
The USPTO record for the Fristads mark lists Fristads AB as the owner of record (serial number 79392463). A trademark is often held by a group company rather than the listed parent, so the registrant's name can differ from the owner named above.[3]
Ownership timeline of Fristads
- 2021 – present Hultafors Group [1][2] reported
Where Fristads sits in Hultafors Group
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Hultafors Group ownership tree →
See the full Hultafors Group brand portfolio (15) →
Other brands owned by Hultafors Group
Hultafors Group controls 15 brands on Brandtree, 7 of them in apparel, footwear & accessories.
Also in apparel, footwear & accessories
- EMMA Safety Footwear (1931)
- EripioWear
- Leijona
- Lyngsøe Rainwear (1999)
- Snickers Workwear (1975)
- Solid Gear Footwear (2008)
Other brands in workwear, and who owns them
The 26 brands in workwear on Brandtree belong to 11 owners. The largest is Lakeland, with 5; Hultafors Group has 5.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| ChemMax | Lakeland | 🇺🇸 United States |
| BAMKO | Superior Group | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Duluth Trading | Duluth Holdings | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Bofilon | Groupe Eram | 🇫🇷 France |
| Hard Yakka | Wesfarmers | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| Bates | Wolverine Worldwide | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Carhartt | Carhartt | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Pega Forte | Grendene | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
About the owner: Hultafors Group
Hultafors Group is a privately held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Brandtree records 15 brands under its control.
Hultafors Group is a Swedish house of brands for tradespeople, organised into two segments it calls personal protective equipment and hardware solutions. It sells almost nothing under its own name and instead owns the brands professionals actually buy: workwear, safety footwear, hearing and eye protection, hand tools, work lights, tool belts and ladders. It is registered in Gothenburg and is one of the wholly owned operations of Investment AB Latour, the listed Swedish investment company, which lists it alongside Swegon, Nord-Lock Group and Caljan.
Hultafors Group: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇸🇪 Fristads and other Swedish brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 110 brands that began in Sweden. 48 of them (44%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Fristads is not one of them.
- & Other Stories — H&M Group 🇸🇪
- Haglöfs — ASICS 🇯🇵
- Peak Performance — Amer Sports 🇫🇮
- Thule — Thule 🇸🇪
- AXA — Lantmännen 🇸🇪
- Absolut — Pernod Ricard 🇫🇷
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Fristads?
The parent company of Fristads is Hultafors Group, a privately held company headquartered in Sweden.
Is Fristads Swedish?
Yes. Fristads originated in Sweden in 1925 and its owner, Hultafors Group, is also headquartered in Sweden.
Since when has Hultafors Group owned Fristads?
Hultafors Group has owned Fristads since 1 March 2021.
Is Fristads still owned by Hultafors Group?
Yes. As of 2 October 2026, Fristads is still owned by Hultafors Group. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (3) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Hultafors Group — our brands — Hultafors Group AB, Official document; retrieved 27 September 2026.
- [2] Hultafors Group completes the acquisition of Fristads, Kansas and Leijona — Hultafors Group AB, Official press release, published 1 March 2021; retrieved 2 October 2026.
- [3] USPTO: FRISTADS, serial 79392463 — United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark registry; retrieved 2 October 2026.
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