Features

What began after an enthusiastic meeting in Stockholm, Sweden back in 2001 with just ten companies has grown over the last 20 years to become a strong organisation of some 67 premium outdoor brands – this is the story of Scandinavian Outdoor Group (SOG).

Initially the brainchild of Martin Kössler, then of outdoor clothing brand Haglöfs, SOG was created with the idea of forming an export cooperation group for the ten founding members – Dale of Norway, Haglöfs, Hestra, Hilleberg, Icebug, Lundhags, Peak Performance, Primus, Silva and Tentipi. The main focus for the group in its early days was to help create Scandinavian ‘villages’ at different trade shows around the world – especially focussing on the German market. They began with the slogan “It’s more fun to do business with Scandinavians” – a comment they borrowed from a retailer at the very first SOG party, which saw 800 guests invited at a show in Munich.

I’m glad they were wrong

“Every journalist asked the same question during our first years – how can you cooperate, you are competitors?” explains Martin Kössler, founder and former secretary general and president of SOG.

“I’m glad they were wrong. For 20 years, SOG has not only established Europe’s biggest educational program for outdoor retailers, become a driver for a more sustainable and responsible industry but also contributed to the foundation of EOG and inspired outdoor brands to team up and work together internationally. For me personally it gave many friends around the world sharing the same passion and values.”

One of the key founding members of SOG in the beginning was high-quality tent manufacturer Hilleberg. Its founder Bo Hilleberg explained: “It’s incredible that it’s been 20 years, I have so many great memories. Thanks to SOG I have met fantastic colleagues and international customers from the outdoor industry. Perhaps my best memories come from our joint Outdoor Academies, when we invite our customers to trekking and skiing in our Scandinavian mountains.”

As SOG has grown it has been an organisation that has stayed true to its aims – to strengthen the image and profit of the member brands on an international level through cooperation and joint projects. It focuses on heritage, premium products, innovation, doing good and going business with passion. But, as it marks this impressive anniversary, what of the future?

The need is more important than ever

“My dream is that the SOG gears up even further and becomes a sustainability super-power to spearhead the change of the outdoor industry, that takes a leading role in changing business at large,” says David Ekelund, current chairman of the SOG board, as well as CEO of Icebug.

“With the global challenges faced, the purpose of business will have to change from growth and consumption to satisfying relevant human needs with minimal resource use.

“With this grounded link to nature that we share, that makes us want to protect it, we can together focus on what really makes a difference to get structural change to happen. The condition for this is trust. This is the secret sauce that makes the SOG work better than all the other outdoor groups that have tried to model after us.”

SOG recently appointed a new secretary general in the shape of David Nordblad, who claims that “the need and purpose for SOG seem more important now than ever before”. He adds: “Together we are able to do so much more and further strengthen Scandinavia as a leading hub for the outdoor industry. Let us remember our history, and values but then look forward to the coming years and what we can achieve as one unit.”