Family office and finance
Aars is one of Norway‘s largest family-owned businesses and has roots back to 1936 when Harald Aars Møller started the car dealership and workshop Strømmen Auto. The family‘s ownership and businesses have been gathered in Aars AS since 2014, and today it is the third and fourth generation who represent the family through management and board positions.
The Family Office is also responsible for the operation and administration of Bygdøy Allè 4. The building serves as a gathering point for the family, across generations.
Aars currently has 21 employees organised into three business areas. Expertise from across the organisation is alos made available to Aars' owned companies as needed.
Aars is both a family office and an investment company.
Aars should be an attractive place to be an owner, but we also take pride in the fact that it should be a stamp of quality to be owned by Aars. We deliver active and engaged ownership with a focus on developing businesses that contribute to sustainable, positive and long-term development. We do this in close collaboration with our companies.
The most important task of a family office is to take care of the owners of the family business. “Family Office and Finance” is organised as a separate department in Aars, where the tasks include, among other things, providing support to all owners, as well as overseeing the holding companies, investments and businesses owned by Aars.
The finance function is responsible for monitoring financial operations, accounting, compliance and internal control, in addition to being responsible for all Group reporting. In addition, the department handles follow-up and contact with government agencies and provides support in transactions involving Aars.
However, family ownership is about more than financial returns. For Aars, it also means creating good workplaces while giving back to society by addressing some of today’s societal challenges. Aars also has an important task in creating meeting places and shared arenas to foster positive interaction also across the family and the employees in our companies.
An equally important task is to prepare future generations for active ownership. By involving the next generations in a meaningful way, Aars ensures continuity and the ongoing development of family ownership.
Aars is wholly owned by the family, and the management of the ownership, businesses and investments is anchored with the owners through Aars' formal ownership records. Ownership structures are developed collaboratively by the owners, revised regularly and serve as the foundation for Aars‘ business strategy. The owners are systematically working together to ensure clear and predictable guidelines for Aars and the businesses in its portfolio.
The Family office is also responsible for the operation and administration of Bygdøy Allé 4, which serves as a gathering place for both the family owners and the companies. It's doors are regularly open to events of all sizes. We firmly believe in the power of dialogue and collaboration at all levels and are equally committed to fostering a strong, shared strategic understanding between the familiy and the companies.
The administration of the Møller Collection is also handled by the Family office.