With locations in almost every city in the country, including 18 in Stockholm alone as of March 2007[update], it is the fourth largest group of fashion stores in Sweden.

In 1932, Åhlén decided that he wanted to expand the business and create a retail trade store with low prices.

On the 50th anniversary (1945) of the establishment of Åhléns and Holm, the company boasted a worth of 87 million SEK, and with a force of more than 2700 workers.

The mail order business was shut down in the 1960s, and a store called Åhléns City was opened in 1964 in the heart of Stockholm.

[citation needed] In 2017, a stolen vehicle driven by a man made his way in central Stockholm, ended up in front of the Åhléns department store in a terrorist attack.