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OPEN AIR GROUP
A complete outdoor
experience
The Open Air Group’s nine different subsidiaries offer more or less
everything you need in the wilderness, from woollen underwear to GPS
tracking for hunting dogs. Two important acquisitions took place during the
year, and the Group’s expansion is continuing.
The Open Air Group is an acquisition-driven group aiming to
grow by consolidating the market for outdoor activities, hunting Technology is a new division which came into being in 2021 following
and dogs. Synergies are achieved by means of cooperation
among the Group’s subsidiaries. The Group comprises of three divisions
– Brands, Retail and Technology.
Retail includes the Widforss online shopping companies in Sweden
and Norway, and the Finnish online shopping company Retkitukku.
The division’s sales increased by 15 per cent during the year, but
the division is rigged for significantly faster growth than that. A new
warehouse in Morgongåva, near Stockholm, opened this year. The
warehouse covers an area of 20,000 square metres, compared with the
5,000 square metres from which it’s relocating. Despite the challenges,
Widforss.se was named E-Retailer of the Year in the sports and leisure
category by price comparison company PriceRunner.
PANDEMIC BOOSTED OUTDOOR PURSUITS
“The first six months of the year were strong for Retail as the COVID-19
pandemic boosted outdoor activities at home rather than travelling
abroad. But it wasn’t long before we were faced with strained inventory
management at our old premises. This is something we’re addressing
by relocating to a new, bigger warehouse.”
Retail interacts naturally with the other two divisions by acting as
the primary sales channel for them. Brands develop, design and sell
clothing and equipment for hunting and outdoor activities. Its brands
are Chevalier, Alaska and – through an acquisition as recently as
December 2021 – Norwegian clothing company Aclima.
Aclima is a third-generation family business specialising in high-
quality merino wool clothing. The company is the market leader in
merino wool clothing in Norway, and its turnover last year amounted
to more than SEK 200 million. This acquisition provides the Open
Air Group with a majority holding and adds a significant platform for
Brands in Norway, complementing the other Chevalier and Alaska
offerings that are a little more focused on hunting. The acquisition also
brings with it profitability right from the outset.
“Our online stores showed us that Aclima is a popular brand and that
customers are becoming more and more interested in high quality
outdoor clothing. The company will maintain its independence within
the Open Air Group, but it will also have the opportunity to grow still
further through our sales channels and best practices within the
division.”
HUNTING WITH DIGITAL SUPPORT IS GROWING
the acquisition of Ultracom and Wehunt. Tracker is already part of the
Group. These three companies develop apps for hunting and dogs.
Tracker is a GPS system that indicates the location of a dog – this
information can be viewed in an app on a mobile phone. Ultracom also
offers a positioning system for dogs, but with a technological overlap
with Tracker. The two brands together have more than 100,000 users,
and will benefit from one another’s expertise as technology continues
to develop.
There’s also Wehunt of Sweden, which has more than 400,000 users
and is an app showing maps of hunting grounds and the positions of
members of a hunting team. A 100 per cent holding in the company
was acquired in early 2021. Together, these three companies have the
opportunity to merge technologies to form the market’s leading and
most complete digital hunting system.
“Digital technology is growing apace when it comes to hunting. This
is helping to make hunting safer while also enhancing the whole
experience. Wehunt saw 50 per cent growth in 2021. The business
model here involves subscription to the service, which provides
recurring revenue. We have high expectations when it comes to
development in this division.”
Overall, the Open Air Group increased its sales by around 30 per
cent in 2021, while also increasing its profitability.
“We’ve grown in just a few years to become a major player in our
industry. But of course, that’s really not enough for us. We’re always
on the lookout for complementary acquisitions both in Brands, where
new brands can complement our offering, and in Technology, where
new technologies can help to improve our services still further. We’re
also continuing to hone our online shopping to give an even better
customer experience. I’d like to thank all our staff who’ve worked so
hard to overcome the challenges we faced this year and helped to
bring about our positive development.”
CEO Camilo Sjödin
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