Who Owns Thule?

Erik Thulin founded the company in Malmö in 1942, originally making products for the Swedish fishing industry, including the pike trap that inspired the name, drawn from the classical Greek term for the far north.

The automotive era began with a ski rack in the 1960s, followed by the roof rack systems and the iconic cargo box that turned Thule into a global brand. Nordic private equity ownership through the 1990s and 2000s funded the acquisitions and international expansion that built category leadership.

The 2014 Nasdaq Stockholm IPO established the current public structure. The brand has since extended beyond racks into bike carriers, child transport products including strollers and bike trailers, luggage, and backpacks, while its RV Products division serves the European caravan industry.

Thule remains headquartered in Malmö and is the reference brand in its category: in most markets, roof racks generically default to the Thule name.