The letters HG are derived from the name of a Swedish businessman - Håkan Gip. In the early 1960s he had a number of high-quality cleaning products developed by the University of Stockholm, which were primarily intended for swimming pools.

In 1969, a small Dutch company, Van Altena B.V. from Heemstede, started to import these HG products from Sweden. This did not only prove successful in the world of swimming pools, but also amongst builders’ merchants who sold ceramic tiles.

During the middle of the 1970s, the Swedish company HG was sold to a Finnish company. When they decided to move the HG factory to northwest Finland, Van Altena B.V. decided to produce the HG products in the Netherlands because of the distance between northwest Finland and the Netherlands. They purchased the HG formulas and brand rights from the Finnish company and they started up a small production facility in Oldenzaal.

After a few very successful years for the company Van Altena B.V., the Dutch economy entered into recession at the beginning of the 1980s; this led to difficult times for Van Altena, with years of heavy losses. In 1982, the Board of Van Altena B.V. decided to engage an external consultant to advise Management on a strategy that would tackle these problems and issues.

After a thorough analysis of the market, they decided to shift the focus from swimming pools and builders’ merchants to the consumer market. During the same period, they also worked on positioning the HG brand - “HG would have to be the brand for all cleaning and maintenance problems in and around the house.” Besides the familiar good quality, innovation also became an important pillar of the concept.

Furthermore, the company worked hard on expanding exports through importers. Belgium, the UK, and Germany were the first export countries, but many others followed suit - not only in Europe, but also in the Middle East, Asia, Canada, and the United States.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the factory in Oldenzaal, which had already been expanded several times, had become too small again and the Head Office in Hillegom also lacked room for further expansion. The decision was taken to combine both sites under one roof in Almere, and the move to these brand-new premises on reclaimed land from the ocean (the former Zuiderzee) was completed on 1 January 1997.

Our North American Head Quarters are located in Barrie, Ontario, Canada having administration and warehousing with additional warehousing in New Jersey, New York for the USA market. Since the early 1990’s the company has grown into many different industry from flooring, natural stone industry, DIY centers, as well as grocery with support from a strong network of dealers and distributors.