The success story of Asko and the whole Finnish furniture history started on 6 September 1918, when carpenter Aukusti Avonius established the ‘Lahden Puuseppätehdas’ carpentry shop in Lahti. It was different from all other carpenter shops of those days, because from the very start, Avonius concentrated on serial production and a store chain of its own. In the early days, Asko mainly produced furniture for sale in its wide store network in Finland and abroad. Export countries included Germany and the Nordic countries, among others. Today, Asko is fully engaged in retailing and is the best known brand in Finnish home furnishing. In addition to Finland, Asko’s store network is expanding in the Baltic countries.