Meet Stefan Lovén: The Costa del Sol to Costa Brava commuter

Stefan Lovén of Jensen Store

Since his early twenties, director of Jensen Store, Stefan Lovén dreamed about living in Spain.

A few years later he turned that dream into a reality, living in Madrid, Barcelona and now commuting between the Costa del Sol where he runs the Jensen Store (official distributor for Jensen Beds) and the Costa Brava, where his family are settled.

Stefan talks to VIVA about his love of Cataluña and why just any old bed won’t do!

What brought you to the Costa del Sol?

My family have had a house on the Costa del Sol since the 80s; I have always felt at home here and had dreams of living here from a young age. When I finally persuaded my family to make the move, we tried Madrid, from there we moved on to Barcelona, before finally buying a house on the Costa Brava, and setting up business here in Marbella…

My family continue to live on the Costa Brava, in a beautiful town called Palamós. We kind of fell in love with the whole area, but I knew Marbella was the best location for my business. So now I commute, flying up to Barcelona to spend every weekend with my family, which may seem a bit crazy, but it’s actually only like doing an hour and a half’s commute from one city to another. This way I have the best of both worlds.

Tell us about Jensen Store, how did you get into the bed business?

After being in Spain for a few years, we moved back to Sweden. It was a temporary move because we wanted the children to feel Swedish, to learn about their roots. During this time I worked for a Norwegian company, the largest bed manufacturer in Europe; Jensen Beds forms a part of the same group.

When we came back to Spain I continued to work with the Jensen brands; setting up a store in Barcelona and here in Marbella.

So come on Stefan, tell us what makes a Jensen bed so special?

The obvious reasons are the comfort and the design, but actually what really makes a difference is that every Jensen bed is handmade to order in Norway.  So every bed is individually designed for its owner.  You choose the fabric, colour, size, the tension of the mattress and we’ll deliver.

My Jensen Store, right here in Polígono Campana, Nueva Andalucía, actually delivers beds all over Europe; in fact we have even delivered beds to Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Why? Because when my clients buy a bed for their holiday or second home, they love that bed so much, they want one exactly the same in their main home, too. And of course, as our service is second to none, the client comes back to us and we produce another personally designed bed.

One thing you miss about Sweden?

Not much, but I do miss the archipelago in Stockholm in summertime.

Favourite place to get out into the fresh air?

Without doubt Zahara de los Atunes, a small village on the Costa de la Luz, in Cádiz. It’s a sleepy town during the autumn and winter – I actually love it more during this time.

During the summer months it has a really great atmosphere; there are more visitors, but they are laid-back and the town itself gets a really bohemian feel. A bit like Tarifa on a smaller scale.

Favourite Spanish dish?

Caldereta. A type of fish and seafood stew, which is traditionally cooked outside and tastes of the sea! Delicious!

What does 2013 hold in store for you?

Lots of new opportunities. We have seen it over the last six months, we are almost back to the same sales volume we had before the crisis and you can see it every day here in our retail park, new businesses are opening, business is on the up!

Stefan Lovén is director of Jensen Store, a VIVA Recommended Partner. Jensen Store is the leading quality bed store on the Costa del Sol. Scandinavian design with materials inspired by nature, ingenious features and trendy fabrics.

Contact Jensen Store on 952 90 88 55 or visit their website www.jensenstore.com