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The mail order business that Clas Ohlson started in 1918 in Insjön is now an established European retail business. There are about three thousand staff working in Sweden, Norway, Finland and the UK who all follow our company motto “Making things easier for people to solve their everyday practical problems”. You are warmly welcome to read about the journey we have made, the future challenges we face and the values, concepts and responsibilities on which our business operations based.
Clas Ohlson is a rapidly expanding retail business with sales of over SEK 5 billion in Sweden, Norway, Finland and the UK. The Head Office lies in the same town where its business operation began in Insjön, Dalarna County. The company has been listed on Stockholm's Stock Exchange (OMX) since 1999.
Our Media Centre contains an overview of our press releases, current store openings, relevant company information and other news of interest. Images, video clips and important contact information are also found here. You are welcome to contact us regarding any of your media related requests. Ring our switchboard at +46 (0)247-444 00 or e-mail us with any queries at press@clasohlson.se
Do you share our view that helping people solve their everyday problems whether big or small is one of the most satisfying things one can do? Then Clas Ohlson may be the company for you with exciting multifaceted roles and job assignments on local, national and international levels. At Clas Ohlson the possibilities for advancement, training and personal development are endless.
There are several ways to contact us. Click on the link that best suites your needs and you will access your information more quickly. Uncertain about who to contact, call our main switchboard at +46 (0)247-444 00 or Customer Services at +46 (0)247-445 00 and you’ll receive the assistance that you need. We look forward to hearing from you!
It should always be easy and convenient to find what you need at Clas Ohlson. In Sweden and Norway, we sell a wide array of home, multimedia, electrical, leisure and hardware products both though our online store and by mail order. In both Finland and the UK, sales are conducted through our expanding retail network. All our purchasing, transport and goods are handled responsibly according to strict environmental and sustainability standards.
Read our Annual Reports here.
Annual report
Clas Ohlson’s vision is to develop a European retail chain characterised by high profitability and healthy growth in shareholder value. Since market penetration in the Nordic region is relatively high, new markets will be increasingly important for Clas Ohlson’s future growth.There is significant potential in continued growth in new and existing markets. The business concept is assessed to be competitive and distinctive on a European basis, thus facilitating future expansion in a number of new markets.To strengthen Clas Ohlson and our competitiveness, we are focusing on three strategic development areas: growth and expansion, simplicity and efficiency, and developing our organisation.
Our business concept is to make it easy for people to solve their everyday practical problems.This business concept is based on an original saying by the founder Clas Ohlson: "We will sell dependable products at low prices and the right quality according to need."
We want to develop a strong European retail chain characterised by high profitability and healthy growth in shareholder value. This will be achieved by being the self-evident choice for people’s practical problem-solving in everyday life.
The Group’s long-term objective is that sales will grow annually at a rate of at least 10 per cent. The objective is measured in terms of the average annual increase in sales over five years. This growth in sales of 10 per cent will be achieved through increased sales in existing sales channels and continued new store openings in both existing and new markets. During the 2010/11 financial year, sales rose 5 per cent in SEK and 8 per cent in local currencies. Sales growth over the past five years has averaged 10 per cent in SEK.
The profitability objective is an operating margin of at least 10 per cent. During coming years, it is estimated that establishment in new markets (currently the UK) will have a negative impact on Clas Ohlson’s operating margin by up to 2-3 percentage points over a financial year. Growth in new markets in Europe will track the long-term financial objective. The operating margin during the 2010/11 financial year was 8.7 per cent. The operating margin over the past five years has averaged 11.0 per cent.
Our product range will be adapted and focus on meeting the needs of customers in their everyday lives. The products must be attractively priced and at the right quality according to need. Clas Ohlson’s range will be versatile and contain smart and affordable solutions.
We will provide a high of service level through helpful and knowledgeable employees who guide customers to simple solutions. Our employees have broad and extensive knowledge of the product range.
Clas Ohlson aims to be present in attractive locations that people frequent in their everyday lives. Customers should find it easy and inspiring to solve their everyday practical problems with us. Our stores should preferably be located in strong central shopping centres. A total of 19 new stores were opened during the financial year, compared with 14 in the preceding year.
We take responsibility for our own operations and our impact on people and the environment. We also make demands on our suppliers with regard to working conditions, the working environment and environmental impact. In addition, Clas Ohlson is engaged in important social issues and supports local associations and purposes in Dalarna where the company has its roots, and a number of selected national or international non-profit organizations where we can help to contribute in a broader context in the countries where we operate.
As part of the work to fulfil our objectives, we have established a number of sub-objectives regarding market position, customer and employee satisfaction, logistics and sustainability.
The Clas Ohlson brand is one of the strongest retail brands in Sweden and Norway (read more on pages 13-14). Recognition is lower in Finland and the UK, due to the short period that the company has been active in these markets. The brand will be further strengthened through continued development of the company’s sales channels and marketing, particularly in new markets where the company is not already known.
We offer our customers a broad and attractive product range. Accordingly, 10-15 per cent of the range is renewed each year by introducing new product areas, and adding and replacing products in existing areas. The breadth of the product range will be maintained or expanded, while certain duplicates, or similar items, will be phased out. Variation between catalogue and store products will be enhanced, in order to work with a more seasonal range and items to order. Since March 2009, Clas Ohlson has published two catalogues per year – one autumn/winter catalogue in late summer, and one spring/summer catalogue in March. This provides greater opportunities to adapt both our product range and prices.This year’s catalogues contained almost 2,250 new products, compared with 2,200 in the preceding year. This means that 18 per cent of the catalogue range has been renewed since 2009/10. Many new products and product lines have been added, including multimedia, leisure and household items.Clas Ohlson supplements familiar brands with a range of unknown brands, as well as our own brands such as Clas Ohlson, Cotech, Cocraft, Coline and Exibel. The objective is that the proportion of our own brands will account for at least 25 per cent of sales. At the end of the financial year, the proportion was 23 per cent.
The level of service in both stores and mail order/Internet channels is high. We achieve this through integrated and automated logistics and sales systems. Our experience is that the level of service in stores, meaning the availability of items in stores when customers want to buy them, exceeds 95 per cent.
Warehouses tie up capital, which means that the rate of stock turnover is an important measure of efficiency. We aim for a stock turnover rate of 6-7 times in the distribution centre.The stock turnover rate in the distribution centre during the financial year was 5.4 times, compared with 6.4 times in the preceding financial year. This means that we replace the entire stock more often than once every two months. The lower turnover rate is primarily due to a higher proportion of direct purchasing from Asia with earlier storage and a higher number of goods on the road.
Inventories in our stores primarily consist of the products that are available for sale. The objective for our large stores is a stock turnover rate of 8-10 times in store inventories, which they also achieve. Clas Ohlson’s medium-sized and small stores have individual objectives based on their annual sales.
Good customer service is key to Clas Ohlson’s business concept. Our customer-service policy specifies that politeness and service-mindedness should permeate every customer contact. The aim is a satisfied customer after every contact. To inspire customer confidence, we also apply a 30-day open purchase/cancellation right for customers in stores as well as mail order/Internet shopping customers. All employees in our stores are trained to deal with complaints. Because we firmly believe that good customer care will be one of the principal competitive tools in the future, we strive to become even more professional in our contact with customers.
Our Group-wide employee survey was conducted for the second time during the financial year. Some 84 percent (82 percent) of our employees responded to the survey, which is a high response frequency. The survey was conducted in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Shanghai. The total outcome for the Group was an ESI (Employee Satisfaction Index) of 74 per cent (72 per cent) which, according to an external comparison, stands up well against other companies. The employee survey provides a solid basis for developing the way we attract, reward and motivate our employees and for developing leadership within the company.
We aim to offer our customers high-quality and affordable products, while contributing to sustainable development for people and the environment. Clas Ohlson’s overall environmental objective is to work together with our suppliers to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 30 per cent per tonne-kilometre by 2020. Our customers should also feel confident that the products we sell have been manufactured under acceptable conditions for people and the environment. The aim is to audit all manufacturers at least once every two years. During the financial year, Clas Ohlson performed 426 factory audits to verify compliance with the Code of Conduct.
