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OSCAR JACOBSON

Swedish perfection
since 1903

Swedish men grew tired of sweatpants in the second half of 2021, and the
demand for more dressed garments increased. The year turned out to be a
good one for the illustrious Oscar Jacobson. Investments made during the
tough restriction period have paved the way for further sustainable success.

Oscar Jacobson is a menswear company offering clothing steered sales towards its own channels such as its own physical stores
collections for men of all ages. The company originally and online shopping. More than half of the company’s sales were made
provided beautifully tailored suits, a heritage held dear by through own channels for the first time in 2021. The company has 15
the company for 119 years. The collections have been expanded of stores of its own, the biggest of which is at the NK department store in
late to include more casual pieces to meet men’s outfitting needs for Stockholm. Its area was expanded by 50 per cent during the year.
both work and leisure, without compromising on a stylish, modern yet
timeless look. FOCUSING ON THE SECOND-HAND MARKET
“We mustn’t steer our customers. We have to have a presence in the
The headline to this text, ‘Swedish perfection since 1903’, equals the
brand’s motto. The Swedish aspect includes the distinctive nature of places where customers in our target group want to be, whether that’s
the design and the company’s values. Perfection is the name of the at the premises of an external retailer, in our own store in town, or
game; from quality and fit to customer service and durability. online. This is why we care for all our channels and let them go hand-
in-hand through development.”
“We’re a lifestyle brand for men’s entire wardrobes, and we promise
our customers Swedish perfection. Our company is Swedish, with all One new venture that’s seen major success during the year is the
that this implies in terms of values such as equality, sustainability and second-hand shop Sustain by Oscar Jacobson in Stockholm. Any
human dignity. Our design work is all done in Sweden and we source owner of an Oscar Jacobson garment can go to this shop and receive
quality fabrics and have garments made in Europe. Many others have 60 per cent of the sale value of the garment as a second-hand item.
garments sewn in Asia.” The shop then launders and repairs the clothes, which are then
available for new owners to buy. This is an example of a sustainability
Richard Woodbridge has been the company’s CEO since 2020 and initiative that’s also achieved commercial success.
has led the company through the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had
a major impact on sales. Restrictions requiring people to work from “Our garments are of high quality and last a long time, so this
home and cancellations of parties and events meant that the demand concept is ideal for us. There’s been a surprising amount of interest in
for smart clothes dropped dramatically. Oscar Jacobson’s sales fell by both dropping off and buying second-hand clothing. Our next step is to
one-third in 2020 compared with the previous year. digitalise the concept so that more customers have the opportunity to
drop off and buy second-hand items.”
TIRED OF SWEATPANTS
But that said, there was a backlash towards the end of summer 2021. Other new initiatives during the year include the rental of partywear,
As the restrictions began to be lifted, it was obvious that lots of people an outlet store in Barkarby, near Stockholm, and a jeans launch.
were fed up with wearing slippers and sweatpants at home and that
they needed to give their wardrobes a makeover. Sales in the autumn “This has been a challenging year, with overcapacity at the outset
ended up being 30 per cent higher than in autumn 2019. Overall, 2021 and capacity shortages at the end. And in the middle of all this, we
ended with sales almost 30 per cent up on 2020 and 14 per cent down switched our business system and opened new stores. Ultimately, we’ll
on 2019. And last but not least, the 2020 loss became a positive result come out of this stronger and look to the future with great confidence.
in 2021. I’d like to thank the owner and all our staff for their support and hard
work that has brought us to where we are.”
“The pandemic has affected us more than many others in the
industry. We were hit harder by the downturn, but this autumn we’ve CEO Richard Woodbridge
come back stronger than the industry as a whole.”

He points to the security and stability that comes from having a
strong owner in difficult times. It provides a sense of courage and the
opportunity to invest even when times are hard. The product range has
been extended during the pandemic and it’s been possible to launch a
new business system, which will massively facilitate future expansion.

Under the leadership of Richard Woodbridge, Oscar Jacobson has

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