The footwear segment improved threefold, growing by 208 percent, and sportswear by 13 percent compared with 2024.
For Swedish sportswear brand Björn Borg sales rose 9.0 percent to SEK 280 million (256.8). Operating profit was SEK 34.2 million (33.5), with an operating margin of 12.2 percent (13.0). Profit after tax amounted to SEK 35.9 million (21.2), an increase of 69.3 percent compared with the previous year. Earnings per share amounted to SEK 1.43 (0.84).
CEO Henrik Bunge commented on the Q1 results as follows:
“We are starting the year strongly with a 9 percent increase in sales to SEK 280 million, which is the best start we have ever had in terms of sales,” said Bunge. “Our operating profit is also developing positively compared with the previous year, increasing by 2.1 percent to SEK 34.2 million. Excluding currency effects, operating profit rose by over 10 percent to SEK 37 million. This is a good start to the year, and the main success is that our sportswear in our own e-commerce continues to develop very well, increasing by 43 percent during the quarter.”
Three-digit improvement
Growth during the quarter was mainly driven by two of Björn Borg’s strategic focus areas: footwear, which increased by a full 208 percent, and sportswear, which increased by 13 percent compared with the same period in 2024. The socks category also increased by 25 percent, and is an important category for the future.
“Despite the chilly spring, our swimwear collection has also performed very well and is growing by 25 percent,” said CEO Henrik Bunge.
On the other hand, two segments, underwear and bags, declined significantly. Underwear, which many people have associated with Björn Borg for 20 years, fell by 12 percent. Bags declined by 8 percent.
Retail versus etail
A review of sales channels shows that the brand’s own e-commerce continues to perform very well, growing by 26 percent during the quarter. The largest channel, wholesale, also had a strong quarter with growth of 11 percent. Comparable sales from the company’s own stores declined by 4 percent during the quarter, and our distributors also had a weak start to the year with a decline of 21 percent compared with the first quarter of last year.
Tariffs do not worry CEO
When it comes to tariffs, the CEO is not that worried, he said.
“However, we believe that the effects of tariffs will not have a measurable impact on our business, and that a weaker dollar is actually positive for us,” Bunge concluded.
