Full speed ahead toward new adventures
A new Haglöfs is emerging. Global expansion and an enhanced retail strategy have resulted in continued growth despite a demanding business climate characterized by financial uncertainty, primarily in Europe, and increasingly fickle weather conditions. Haglöfs is a larger company with a wider selection than it was just a few years ago. Haglöfs has cast off from its safe harbor and is headed for new adventures. A new journey has begun.
Haglöfs' vision is to position its brand as the leader within Technical Outdoor and Sustainability on all key markets throughout the world. In the past few years, we have taken steps through our expansion strategy, Haglöfs Going Global, to come closer to realizing this vision.
Investments drive change
We have strategically invested required resources in our global expansion. With new subsidiaries in Japan and South Korea and distributors in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, we have created in a relatively short time a wide distribution network in Asia, and our brand is becoming more well-known with every day that passes. During 2012 our sales in Asia grew from 5% to 10% of our total sales and it is more than likely that the Asian markets will represent 15-20% of our total sales in the not-too-distant future.
Another dimension of our expansion is Haglöfs’ new retail strategy. We opened two new Brand Stores in 2012 – one in Seoul, South Korea, and one in Tokyo, Japan. In March 2013 we will open up the doors to our new Brand Store in Oslo, Norway. We also exported our shop-in-shop concept to both South Korea and China. In China we are located in Beijing in one of the world's largest department stores. We are planning to open another 3-5 stores in 2013, probably a combination of Brand Stores and brand outlets.
A bit faster, much larger
Today, the outdoor industry is global. We are active in a significantly larger arena, and in this arena things move a bit faster. This means that the demands outdoor companies are facing are different than those they faced 10-15 years ago. This applies to both the development of our business and our offer and the development of the activities that attract outdoor enthusiasts around the world.
With our new Intense collection in a monochrome color scheme, a newly developed trail running offer with shoe technology from ASICS and a winter collection that is more even more versatile, we are heading into 2013 with three business areas that feel stronger than ever before.
Most recently we have started several strategic cooperations, including a closer cooperation with HK Non-Woven, which resulted in an insulating synthetic material (QuadFusion™) that is approved by bluesign® and made from recycled/recyclable polyester. We also intensified our cooperation with our Haglöfs Friends and several of them participated in the development of new products.
Our core values remain unchanged and the Haglöfs culture is still strong. With the genuine outdoor experience as our base, Haglöfs will continue to be an entrepreneurial and innovative company that offers outdoor enthusiasts around the world the opportunity of having an active outdoor life without needing to compromise.
Continued focus on sustainability
Sustainability issues are today a natural and fully integrated part of our operations. The goals we set for the period 2008-2012 were high – and we surpassed several of them already in 2011. Our work will not stop there, though. We will formulate new, aggressive goals for our future sustainability work. Partly because we are convinced that this is a prerequisite for long-term, profitable growth and partly because we could never run a business that did not also take its responsibility and contribute to a sustainable society.
During the fall of 2012 we established a seasonal warehouse solution in Hong Kong together with Green Carrier. This warehouse, which will serve our subsidiaries and distributors in Asia, will be built up for the large seasonal deliveries and then dismantled until the next delivery period. Thanks to this solution we dramatically decrease our CO2 emissions associated with transports.
A new Haglöfs is emerging
Change starts from within. In Haglöfs’ case this refers to both our products and all of the new power and energy we are creating as we grow. In 2012 we re-invented our design department with a new Design Manager and twice the number of designers. The results of these changes were not long in coming. Our new collection and the expansion of our offer to more markets have resulted in a two-digit increase in orders going into 2013.
Haglöfs was founded in 1914 in Torsång, Dalarna. Over the years this local backpack manufacturer evolved into the modern Haglöfs we are today. During the 2000s we expanded our operations into Europe. Together with our owner, ASICS, we have now begun a new journey – a journey that has quickly taken us to Asia and given Haglöfs completely new opportunities for our footwear expansion. But the journey has just begun and we are already looking forward to marketing our brand in new countries and new parts of the world in the future.
Join us as we head into the future!
Nicolas Warchalowski, CEO of Haglöfs
For further information please contact:
Nicolas Warchalowski
CEO
+46 703 64 44 23
nicolas.warchalowski@haglofs.se
Haglöfs is one of the world’s leading outdoor suppliers and offers a responsible brand that meets modern day demands for products with a high level of functionality, good design and value for money to people who invest in an active outdoor lifestyle. Sales for 2011 amounted to SEK 626 million and the company has over the last five years achieved an average growth of 10 percent. Haglöfs is owned by ASICS Corporation since 2010. www.haglofs.se
CONTACTS:
PR & Media Manager: Sara Skogsberg Cuadras, sara.skogsberg-cuadras@haglofs.se
CEO: Nicolas Warchalowski, nicolas.warchalowski@haglofs.se
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