Odlo
| Odlo International AG
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | 1946 |
| Seat |
Hünenberg Switzerland
|
| management | Knut Are Høgberg (CEO) |
| Number of employees | 733 ( FTE ), of which 125 at the Hünenberg site (2019) |
| Branch | Sportswear |
| Website | www.odlo.com |
The Odlo International AG is an internationally operating Swiss manufacturer of functional sportswear with Norwegian roots. The company, based in Hünenberg , employs over 740 people. In the European market, ODLO is the market leader in the segment of functional sports underwear. Further collections are offered in the segments Outdoor, Running, X-Country, Bike, Tec Shirts, Kids and Accessories. The market shares for functional underwear range between 30% and 50% depending on the country. ODLO manufactures 72% of its products in Europe and the Middle East, mostly in its own production facilities (in Portugal and Romania). 28% of the products are produced in Asia. ODLO products are offered in over 5000 sales outlets worldwide, mainly in sports retailers. There are around 1500 specially set up sales areas in shops and department stores. The Swiss company also runs its own ODLO stores. The company was run by Odd Roar Lofterød jun. In the second generation from 1979 to 2009. who died in Oslo in September 2012 after a long illness.
history
The company was founded in 1946 by the Norwegian Odd Roar Lofterød sen. (* 1915) founded. This led the company until 1979. In 1933 Odd Roar Lofterød sen. Cross-country champion of the Oslo district. In 1935 he covered the route Oslo – Gibraltar – Oslo by bicycle.
In 1946 Odd Lofterød registered the Odlo brand worldwide. In 1947 the production of women's underwear began. Shortly afterwards, Odlo developed training pants made of Helanca fibers - for his son, so to speak. Because Odd Roar jun. was a member of the speed skating youth team in Norway. After the enormous success of these pants, Odd Roar launched a further development in 1963, the first elastic and functional suit for cross-country skiers and speed skaters. Like the sweatpants, it was made from Helanca fiber. In 1964 the Norwegian national team wore this suit and was successful at the Olympic Games in Innsbruck . The series of successes continued, in 1972 25 national teams wore the Odlo competition clothing to the Olympic Games in Sapporo .
In 1973 the Odlo Termic brand was created. Odlo Termic was the first fully synthetic sports underwear. Odd Roar Lofterød sen. handed over to his son Odd Roar junior in 1979. the Company. In 1986 Lofterød and his then partners Victor Villiger and Didi Serena recognized that the future of a sports brand does not lie in specialization, but rather in the globalization of marketing and production. So they founded Odlo International AG, near Zug in Switzerland, as the brand's new headquarters. In 1987 the Athletic Clothing System was launched, based on the layer-by-layer principle. After the success in cross-country skiing clothing in winter, Odlo followed suit with segments for the summer season: running, cycling and outdoor.
In 1999 own subsidiaries were founded in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France as well as agencies in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Spain, Ukraine, UK. In 2000, the Odlo Sports Group incorporated Bjørn Dæhlie and Kjus Systems skiwear as brands. In the meantime, Odlo has separated from both of them.
In 2002 the company developed the “effect by ODLO” fiber and launched a laundry with odor-inhibiting silver ions . All underwear products have been equipped with the new fiber since 2004. In 2003, the company revised its logo and published a new slogan. In 2006, Odlo and an interdisciplinary project team won the MedTec Award for designing a sensor shirt that can be used to create an electrocardiogram. In addition to other prizes, Odlo won the red dot design award for good design in 2010 - with the racing suit by biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen .
Social responsibility
In 2010, the non-governmental organization Declaration of Bern compared the standards of working conditions in production countries by means of surveys and internet research at 77 fashion labels. Odlo was placed in the best “advanced” category out of five categories. The company has been a member of the Fair Wear Foundation since 2008 .
Sponsorship
ODLO equips the following teams:
- Swiss Ski Association (Nordic)
- Norwegian Biathlon Association
- French Ski Federation (Nordic)
- Slovenian Ski Association (Nordic)
- Japanese Biathlon Association
- Scott-Sram Mountain Bike Team
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Entry of “Odlo Sports Group AG” in the commercial register of the canton of Zug ( memento of the original from January 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Hip label - unfair production , Tages-Anzeiger
