The hotel king gives the parents much of the credit for the success.
Hear hotel king Petter Stordalen talk about the grief surrounding his father’s illness in the video below:
In Saturday’s episode of “An evening at Kloppen”, hotel king Petter Stordalen (58) is one of the guests, and as always there is talk of both small and big things in the garden at the home of host Solveig Kloppen (50) in Tåsen Hageby.
For Stordalen’s part, there is of course a lot of talk about how he has gotten where he has done in his career, and the 58-year-old makes no secret of the fact that much of the credit goes to his parents.
Also read: Britney Spears under investigation
The hotel king describes growing up at home in Porsgrunn where the door was always open, where his mother in many ways ran a kind of hotel. Friends could come and go as they pleased, and there is little doubt that this is where the openness and hospitality of Petter Stordalen comes from.
On the other hand, he inherited the Kremmer gene from his father, who passed away in 1994. Knut Anker Stordalen was only 60 years old.
Went his own way
Petter Stordalen’s father was a merchant and ran a shop, but taking over the shop was not something his son wanted.
– I made the choice that I left the store at home. I loved the store, until I did not do it anymore. And realized I can not work here. I can not take over. I have to go to Oslo, says Stordalen in the program, and makes no secret of the fact that it was hard for his father that he did not want to take over the store.
Also read: This happens with “Good evening Norway” when Marte Bratberg goes out in mammaperm
Instead, Stordalen was hired in 1987 as Norway’s youngest center manager at the City Syd shopping center in Trondheim, even before he finished school. Then the journey continued to Oslo, where Stordalen in 1992 became one of the owners of Steen & Strøm.
Before Stordalen joined Steen & Strøm, however, his father had become very ill.
– Went and cried in the office
In “An evening at Kloppen”, Stordalen tells candidly about the grief over his father’s illness.
Knut Anker Stordalen was only 55 years old when he became ill, and when his son was proud to show what he had achieved after he left home – there was not much he got with him.
He is especially sorry for the opening of Steen & Strøm because his father was not completely taken in by him.
– Then the father comes in there, and I drive him around in a wheelchair. I also understand that he does not get it. And for me it was like this: Now you had seen everything you have taught me. All the energy and time you have spent on me, finally you will see that something came out of him, says Stordalen.
– And I remember I went and cried in the office, he adds.
However, Stordalen received a good tip from his boss at the time, which he has taken with him further in life. Watch the video at the top of the case to hear how he remembers his father today!
You can watch the entire episode of “An evening at Kloppen” on TV 2 on Saturday at 22.15.
–
