A.C. Illum

Anton Carl Pedersen Illum (5 July 1863 - 20 July 1938) was a Danish businessman who founded the Illum Department Store on Amagertorv in Copenhagen.

Early life and education Illum was born on 5 July 1863 in Dyvskrog at Fåborg on the island of Funen, the son of ship builder Peter Hansen Pedersen (I.) (1834–77) and Ane Kirstine Rasmussen (1834–1914). He changed his name from Pedersen to Illum on 6 November 1888. The family moved to Vejle. Illum was apprenticed to V. Wegener in his new home town and then worked for a few years at Frølund & Wittrup in Horsens. He then continued to Hamburg to work for Wm. Klöpper. He spent almost six years in the firm, although most of the time as a travelling salesman in Denmark.

Career

On 3 March 1891, Illum opened a small shop at Østergade 55 in Copenhagen. His business grew rapidly, assisted by substantial credits from his old employer, which compensated for his very small initial capital. In 1899, he had grown out of space and moved his business to larger premises on the other side of the street and would continue to expand into successive properties over the following years. These included Efterslægtselskabets Skole, which was acquired in 1911.