Active Sportswear International, the fast-growing company that has been distributing New Balance in Denmark since 1996, has been given the distribution in Norway and Sweden as well. Those two countries have been covered for many years by a subsidiary of New Balance in Gothenburg, and most of their employees and their agents will be rehired by the Danish company.
The move is expected to improve the position of New Balance in the region, especially in Norway where it had only one sales rep. The American brand will continue its strong relationship with the Norwegian buying group Sport 1, but will also seek to do business with running specialists and other retailers, including those affiliated with Gresvig and the other Norwegian buying group.
Active Sportswear has 10 sales reps in Norway, and its bonded warehouses, which measure a total of 6,000 m², service the Norwegian market on a daily basis. This will be particularly useful for replenishment orders. In Denmark, where it shares the leadership with Asics and Nike in running, 40 percent of Active Sportswear’s business is made up of reorders.
Andreas Hakansson remains as sales manager of New Balance in Sweden. The company has been without a country manager in Sweden since last September, when Johan Ekeroth left for a similar job at Asics Scandinavia. Ekeroth took the place of Haakon Nygaard after Asics took over from Bertel ‘O Steen of Norway all the shares it still did not own in Asics Scandinavia. Bertel ‘O Steen had done a very good job with the brand in Norway.
Active Sportswear has been gradually developing a strong business outside Denmark through its own brands – Color Kids and Forza – to which it added H²O one year ago. The company continues to distribute Babolat in Denmark
Excluding the operations of New Balance in Norway and Sweden, but including about €14 million for H²O, the company should generate sales of €47 million this year, 15 percent more than in 2009.
