Ekornes
| Ekornes ASA
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | Allmennaksjeselskap |
| ISIN | NO0003035305 |
| founding | 1934 |
| Seat |
Ikornnes , Sykkylven , Norway
|
| Number of employees | 2100 |
| sales | 2.5 billion NOK (2009) |
| Branch | Furniture manufacturing |
| Website | www.stressless.com |
Ekornes ASA is the parent company of the Ekornes Group and the largest furniture manufacturer in Scandinavia with brands such as Ekornes, Stressless and Svane. While Stressless is one of the best-known furniture brands worldwide with 8.5 million seats sold, Ekornes and Svane are leading furniture brands in Norway. Ekornes employs over 2100 people worldwide. Production takes place in Norway - global marketing is carried out by national and regional sales companies in more than 40 countries. Nine group sales companies are responsible for sales in Europe, North and South America and Asia / Oceania. Other markets are served by importers in numerous countries.
history
Jens E. Ekornes' production began in 1934 with German machines for the manufacture of upholstered furniture springs and a handful of employees. The main product was mattress springs; the first Svane mattresses came on the market in 1938 in three versions.
In 1959 Ekornes began producing foam for its own use as well as for resale, in 1963 the Combina furniture series came onto the market in Germany and proved to be a lasting success. In 1966 Ekornes became the first furniture manufacturer in Norway to distribute product information.
In 1971 Stressless was patented and appeared on the Norwegian market. In 1980 Stressless sales exceeded NOK 100 million. In 1981 the first Stressless model with a wooden base appeared.
In 1984 Ekornes employed 800 people and had a production area of 75,000 square meters in eight factories.
In 1991 the Plus system was developed, patented and introduced for the Stressless models, in 1993 the first Stressless sofa with individually adjustable single seats came onto the market, and in 1996 the Stressless technology was first used successfully in the sofa area.
In 1994 Ekornes went public after years of expansion and consolidation. In 2001 there were 1,500 Ekornes studios worldwide. Stressless daily production broke the 1,000 unit mark. In 2002 the Stressless logo was redesigned. In 2003, sales rose to over NOK 2 billion for the first time (around EUR 240 million at the time). In 2004 a new Ekornes factory was opened and the production capacity increased to 2,000 Stressless seating units per day.
In 2005, the Stressless range was expanded to include armchairs and sofas with low backrests, and in 2007 a second, smaller size was introduced for various Stressless sofas. In 2008 the newly introduced Stressless Jazz with tubular steel frame won the Norwegian design award “Norwegian Award for Design Excellence”.
In 2009, 6 million Stressless seating units were sold. The group's turnover was NOK 2.5 billion (approx. EUR 300 million).
In 2010 the ErgoAdapt system (Stressless E200 and Stressless E300) was launched, and in 2011, the Stressless Magic model was launched on the 40th birthday of Stressless. In 2012 the Stressless collection was expanded to include the Voyager armchair, the Wizard and Legend sofa sets and the Stressless Duo stool and table.
In 2013 the turnover was NOK 2,611 million (approx. EUR 300 million). At the end of the year, the group employed 1576 people.
In 2014 the collection was expanded to include the Stressless City and Metro models in the new “Starbase” frame design.
In 2018, the range was expanded to include functional dining chairs (stressless dining).
Ekornes in Germany
Ekornes Möbelvertriebs GmbH was founded in 1994 and is a subsidiary of Ekornes ASA. The head office is located in Hamburg and controls sales and marketing for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia with around 60 employees. The managing director is Ralf Arp.
Production facilities
Production takes place in Norway and is divided into product groups: Stressless, Ekornes Collection (sofas) and Svane (mattresses).
- JE Ekornes AS, main plant in Ikornnes ( Sykkylven ): headquarters of the parent company, manufacture of Stressless armchairs and sofas
- Vestlandske plant: Stressless sofa production.
- Tynes plant: This is where laminate for Stressless and other furniture products is manufactured.
- Plant in Hareid: Manufacture of Stressless sofas and sofas from the Ekornes collection
- Plant in Grodås : production of internal and visible wooden parts for sofas, structural parts for Stressless
- Ekornes Fetsund AS: Manufacture of Svane mattresses
Sales concept
Ekornes products are sold exclusively through trading partners. As a rule, each dealer has his own exclusive sales area.