Martin Axelhed, the 30-year-old executive who took over the helm for the Fjällräven brand from Ake Nordin last January, has mapped out investments in a number of areas for the next years. Stretching until 2010, the plan will be unveiled over the next few weeks to the staff of the Swedish outdoor brand, a property of Fenix Outdoor.
One of Axelhed’s targets is to turn Fjällräven into Europe’s leading supplier of outdoor trousers, a market in which it has been traditionally strong. Its new line of lightweight bottoms, which can be zipped off at two different heights, has been well received, but the task could be particularly arduous in Germany, where the Swedish brand faces stiff competition in trousers from a spate of German brands, led by Jack Wolfskin. Germany is Fjällräven’s largest market - making up about 35 percent of its sales, against 25 percent for Sweden.
Among the strategic moves outlined by the new manager, Fjällräven has split its offering into four product groups, consisting of trekking, travel, hunting and polar. For each of the groups, Fjällräven will be introducing a small offering of high-end technical products, called Red Line.
Furthermore, Fjällräven is investing heavily in the development of its own fabrics, after it decided to stop using Gore-Tex last year. The company introduced the first product of these investments a few weeks ago in the shape of Hydratic IQ, an intelligent membrane that adjusts to the movements of the wearer and conditions outside.
