Fjällräven, the Swedish outdoor brand, has unveiled the headlines of a strategic plan for the next four years, which calls for the launch of an upmarket technical range as well as heavy investments in outdoor trousers and equipment. Devised by Martin Axelhed, the general manager who took over the reins of the brand earlier this year, the plan was disclosed to the company’s staff at the Fjällräven’s recent sales gathering and the results will be displayed more broadly at the OutDoor fair next July.

As part of the plan, the company will introduce Spitze, a new range of trekking products featuring the latest fabrics and details that will be sold at prices about 20 percent above those of other Fjällräven products. The initial range will consist of a pair of trekking trousers, a down vest, a shell jacket, a backpack, a tent and a sleeping bag - all weighing less than 5 kilograms.

In a bid to double its already high sales of trousers between 2006 and 2010, Fjällräven will propose a modular wall system that is both simple and eye-catching. It will be tested from the 2nd quarter of next year at five stores of Naturkompaniet, the Swedish outdoor retail chain belonging to Fenix Outdoor Group, the listed Swedish holding company which also owns Fjällräven, Hanwag, Primus and Tierra. By the end of 2008 it should be fitted in all Naturkompaniet stores, along with some other large European outdoor shops.

Fjällräven is already a leading player in the market for outdoor trousers in Scandinavia as well as Germany, its largest export market. It has decided to invest further in this category because it knows that higher sales of these products often lead to more abundant sales of jackets. Instead, it has proved tricky to invest directly in the market for outdoor jackets, where competition is tougher.

At the same time, the company will attempt to double from 10 to 20 percent the proportion of revenues that it is deriving from equipment. Actually the Fjällräven brand itself was issued from the backpacks business but then it lost its way in this category over the last years, due to a lack of innovation. Upgraded ranges of mid- and large-sized trekking backpacks and sleeping bags are to be launched in Friedrichshafen.

These new products will be showcased in the next Fjällräven Classic, an annual trekking event along the King’s Trail that drew about 650 people last August. About 30 percent came from outside Sweden. The company wants to raise participation to about 1,000 people next year, doubling that figure in 2008.

The implementation of this plan will entail small organizational changes such as the recruitment of a dedicated designer and the appointment of a merchandising manager, Christoffer Parmö, who previously built up a business in denim trousers. More staff will be added on the marketing side, along with an export specialist to take care of openings in Eastern Europe. Separately, Fjällräven has confirmed the recruitment of Jouni Rajala from Vandernet, an outdoor and sports distribution company in Finland, to head up Fjällräven’s subsidiary in that country, taking over from Jan Vourenpää next January.