Optician chain Synsam is investing in a new business in optics and sports glasses. Synsam Sports will offer personalized glasses, specialized for 18 different sports. The new chain will be established in about 100 Nordic locations. The first store opens at Sankt Eriksplan in Stockholm on 18 April. (more…)
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XXL to enter Denmark and change management
XXL targets Denmark. In the first phase – only online. ”We need to market ourselves heavily to be visible in Denmark. But we cannot be market leaders in a country with only an online store, so therefore we need consider Danish department stores too,” said CEO Fredrik Steenbuch at the presentation of XXL:s financial report. […]
Apple to open state of the art flagship in Stockholm
Apple has found the location of its flagship store in Stockholm. The City of Stockholm is expected to provide the electronics giant permission to build a fully transparent store in Kungsträdgården, the large park in Stockholm city. “Stockholm is a fantastic city of innovation and we feel a great honor to have the opportunity to contribute […]
H&M reached new record profit
H&M has made another record year. Total sales went up 11 percent in local currencies, and the profit of nearly 21 billion SEK is the best so far. ”Sales have developed well for all our brands: H&M, H&M Home, COS, & Other Stories, Weekday, Monki and Cheap Monday,” comments CEO Karl-Johan Persson. (more…)
Power tricked landlord and Elgiganten – opens four weeks early
It was supposed to be a retail highlight. Now, the new electronics chain Power from Expert breach the agreement with the new shopping center BIG in Herlev and opens the store, four weeks before the center’s official opening together with Elgiganten. ”We were simply ready to open,” says Expert CEO Jesper Boysen (more…)
K-rauta Express designed to conquer women and young Helsinki-citizens
K-rauta took a decision this spring. Less than half a year later, the first K-rauta Express store was established in Helsinki. By heavy marketing inside and outside the Forum Galleria – K-rauta now calls for the urban young customer group. ”You can only open this kind of store once. We need both legs to work: […]
947 million operating profit for Elkjøp Nordic
Elkjøp Group is growing – with the Swedish branch of Phonehouse added to the family, Elkjøp Nordic set a new sales record in 2014/2015. Sales increased by two billion NOK, reaching 29.8 billion with an operating profit of 947 million NOK. But also the customer satisfaction is reaching new levels. ”Without customers who likes us it is impossible to […]
Byggmax reports super quarter sales
As previously announced, the buildingware discount chain Byggmax’ sales in the second quarter was unusually high. Net sales were up 13.9 percent – 10.3 percent for comparable stores. (more…)
Ikea to build department store in central Copenhagen
Updated: Ikea will open a new department store in the heart of Copenhagen, at Dybbølsbro next to Fisketorvet, in 2018. It will be the second Ikea with the city concept built, primarily targeting customers without a car. (more…)
Consolidation in Nordic Zoo market
Finnish Musti ja Mirri became the largest Nordic pet chain, when merged with Swedish Grizzly Zoo three years ago. In December EQT took over the full lead. Now the Finnish chain takes the the next step in Sweden and acquires Zoo Support, owner of the franchise chains Arken Zoo and DjurMagazinet. (more…)
Starkki Puukeskus brand replaced by Stark
After a year as Starkki Puukeskus, DT Group rebrands the merged Finnish building supply chains to Stark. Logo and design will be the same as in Denmark. (more…)
Kesko sells Anttila to German investment fund
Kesko divests the troubled home and furniture chain Anttila with 23 department stores to the German investment fund 4K Invest. ”A good basis for the development of Anttila’s operations,” says Kesko President Mikko Helander. (more…)
Odd Reitan: We are more solid than ever
Net income for 2014 shows that Reitangruppen is more solid than ever. Totalomsetningen was 82 billion NOK, an increase of 5 billion from 2013. The last ten years Reitangruppen tripled the operating profit. ”Effective structures and good system operation gives us tremendous power in a demanding market. We use the power to secure 36,611 jobs in the […]
XXL increased sales by 30 percent – already profitable in Finland
XXL delivered a growth of 30 percent for the year 2014, driven by new store openings, E-commerce and like-for-like growth. XXL is also proud of the fresh expansion into Finland, producing a positive operating profit in the fourth quarter 2014. ”Beat that!” Group CEO Fredrik Steenbuch said in a presentation today. (more…)
Plans for giant Danish shopping center cancelled
Three months ago the municipal council said yes to Hillerød Shopping center on North Zealand. It was supposed to become Denmark’s largest shopping center with 93,000 square meters. But now, nine years of planning are being dropped. Property owner Goldschmidt Holding suddenly announces it will be replaced by a housing project. (more…)
Scandinavian online stores might be forced to sell to all EU-countries
Discrimination in e-commerce should be stopped. The EU-commission argues – and plans to force Scandinavian online stores to sell to all EU countries. “It will be a huge burden being forced to sell their products to 28 countries with different legislations,” said Danish Ehrverv’s Marketing Director, Henrik Hyltoft. (more…)
Interview: ”Mall of Scandinavia is a perfect project to validate new ideas”
Mall of Scandinavia in Stockholm is the largest shopping centre project in Scandinavia. But for owner Unibail-Rodamco it is also the perfect tool to try out new innovations and validate ideas for the whole of Europe. For ScandinavianRetail.com, Chief Development Officer Olivier Bossard explains why – and why Copenhagen and Helsinki are no favourites. ”Boring […]
Kesko to build high tech centre at Itäkeskus
Shopping mall giant Itis and the retail park at Helsinki east centre is about to get more company. Kesko plans for a new supermodern Citymarket – and a new shopping centre. ”Enterprises and customers will be able to shop both physically and virtually in the centre,” says Kesko’s President and CEO Mikko Helander. (more…)
Top-Toy looks for a partner
Toys sales are peaking at this time of the year. So is the sale of Scandinavia’s largest toy company, Top-Toy, who wants be go outside Scandinavia in the future. ”We have reached the conclusion that we can not continue to be 100 percent family-owned or family-run, ” says Peter Gjørup. (more…)
Multichannel: Lefdal integrates e-commerce in-store
Yesterday Lefdal launched its new store concept Lefdal 2.0, with the opening of a new store in Sandvika Storsenter. The new store will have 38 touchscreens that are connected directly to the chain store and within a year provide a large high tech and omnichannel upgrade (more…)
This is how Scandinavians shop online
Scandinavian consumers shopped online for 34,5 billion SEK during the third quarter, 1,5 billion more compared to Q2. 9,4 billion was from online stores abroad. Here are the Nordic figures, country by country – category by category. (more…)
Final yes to 70 stores shopping centre in Haparanda-Tornio
The road is open for the next big retail project in Haparanda-Tornio, 70 shops and a hotel that literally crosses the border between Sweden and Finland. The building permit for the Barents Center in Haparanda has today become final without any appeals submitted. “This is the largest commercial project to date in northern Sweden, and it is […]
Stadium Outlet to be introduced outside Sweden
Despite XXL:s offensive strategy – Stadium is coming out as a winner in the Nordic sports market with a better performance than ever. The Swedish sports chain will focus on Copenhagen in Denmark – and continue the successful expansion in Finland. And a second label might be introduced soon. ”We target both Denmark and Finland with the Stadium […]
Expert-CEO: We have no plans for Sweden
Expert is gathering its forces – for the battle against Elkjøp Group in Denmark, Norway and Finland. But Expert CEO, Lars Christensen, have no future plans for Sweden, and says a takeover of Media Markt-stores would be out of question. ”Their stores are too expensive. We prefer smaller – but much better stores”, he tells ScandinavianRetail.com (more…)
Meny to replace SuperBest and Eurospar in Denmark
Dagrofa and its co-owner Norgesgruppen takes the Norwegian Meny-concept to Denmark by a merge and conversion of SuperBest and Eurospar. The first Meny-stores will open their doors next spring. At the same time discount chain KIWI will open in large format. ”The choice today is a modern food store or a discount store. There is […]
PostNord: Our pick up-lockers are a Nordic pilot
PostNord is launching automatic pick up-lockers in three countries at the same time. ”It’s a Nordic pilot. We’ll have boxes in Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki”, says Johan Littmarck, product manager at PostNord Logistics. (more…)
Norwegian shopping centre-pilot for click-and-collect
For the first time a Norwegian shopping centre starts testing automatic lockers for e-commerce. The pilot starts now in three Norwegian shopping center. “The world opens up in a phenomenal way”, says Marianne Håkonsen, Marketing Director, Sektor Gruppen AS. (more…)
Transforming into Beijer’s new sales machine
Building and construction retailer Beijer is trying out a new light-concept The acquisition of eleven Cheapy units, with smaller store surfaces, gives an opportunity to provide full service using a central multichannel strategy for professionals. ”It will be a sales machine – and a pilot for our Nordic colleagues to follow”, CEO Anders Jakobsson says. […]
Stockmann exclusive: This is how we will do multichannel better
Stockmann’s sales are decreasing and consumers and experts are critical to their multichannel offer. ”This critic is entitled and fair. But we have a strategy of what to do”, says Tove Westermarck, Distance Retail Director at Stockmann to ScandinavianRetail.com. The strategy has been benchmarked closely to the most successful department store chains in the world. […]
Interview: Verkkokauppa and multichannel in Finland
Finland’s only listed online retailer Verkkokauppa.com has delivered their second official report with a 24,2 percent growth. ScandinavianRetail.com got a talk with a very national multichannel retailer that is ready to challenge the grocery market. ”We are trying to build something new that has never been done before in Finland”, founder and CEO Samuli Seppälä […]
Exclusive: Inditex introduces new store brands to Sweden
The world’s largest fashion retailer, Inditex, has considered Sweden as their worst market with a major failure for Zara. But now the spanish giant is profitable in H&M-land again – and plans for expansion. Next year, two new store brands will make their entry in Sweden. (more…)
New superprofit for Elkjøp Group
Dixons’ nordic chains Elkjøp and Lefdal in Norway, Elgiganten in Sweden and Denmark and Gigantti in Finland delivers a new superprofit to its owner. The Nordic sales for 294 stores int the Elkjøp Group were 2,789.8 million GBP for the year ending April 30th. Last year’s turnover was 2,733.3 MGBP. This year’s profit was 116,9 […]
Byggmax increases Scandinavian market shares
The Swedish discount chain for construction material, Byggmax, continues its strong performance. First half of 2014 Byggmax increased net sales by 15,3 percent. “The Swedish and Norwegian market is stronger than the Finnish”, says CEO Magnus Agervald. (more…)
Coop: This is how we’ll use iBeacon
Everyone talks about the Beacon technology. Coop Sweden was the first to officially announce that they test it. “This is just the first step for us,” says project manager Caroline Palmqvist. (more…)
Former Coop-boss got 8 million after quitting
Ola H Strand quit his job as CEO of Coop Norway after a dispute with his board. But he was compensated. According to a statement from Coop yesterday he received two years payment after getting fired in October last year. (more…)
Fashion sales online up in June
The estimate Fashion Index from Svensk Handel Stil shows that Swedish sales of clothes in specialist shops, measured in comparable units and at current prices, rose by only 0.1 percent compared to the same month last year. The corresponding figure for sales in shoe stores show an increase of 0.6 percent. Developments so far this […]
Gina Tricot sold – Göran Bille of Lindex new CEO
The Appelqvist family sells GinaTricot to Nordic Capital. New CEO will be Göran Bille from Lindex. (more…)
Olav Thon takes a giant step into Sweden
Olav Thon has been standing on the hall carpet for a while. Now the Norwegian real estate giant takes a giant step into the Swedish room and buys five Swedish shopping centers, Familia (Hyllinge/Helsingborg, 15769 sqm), Etage (Överby/Trollhättan, 16604 sqm), Mirum (Hageby/Norrköping, 39122 sqm), Mitt i City (Karlstad, 16010 sqm) and Sollentuna Centrum (Sollentuna, […]
Scandinavian e-commerce for 44,2 billion SEK first quarter
For the first time, a survey is made quarterly to estimate the progress in the whole Nordic e-commerce. During the first quarter of 2014 seven of ten northerners bought online products for a value of about 4,9 billion EUR. (more…)
Komplett’s new deal: Make-up and car parts
Norways largest pure player online will be more complete. Komplett has pointed out automotive parts as the companys new major growth market. – We will find solutions that will change this market, says Komplett CEO Ole Vinje. (more…)