New Wave Group is a growth company that designs, acquires and develops brands and products in the corporate promotion, gifts and home furnishings sectors.
History
Since its founding in 1990, the company has reported strong sales and profit growth. Between 1992 and 2008, sales growth averaged 20% a year and profits rose by an average of 12% a year.
New Wave Group was founded in 1990 in Sweden and Norway and in 1994 in Finland. The Group ranks as a market leader in the markets, with an estimated promowear market share of about 30%. In 1996 Craft was acquired, which established the sales in the retail business area. With its 2001 acquisition of Sagaform, New Wave Group moved into promotional gifts, which generated substantial synergies with the Group’s other corporate promo activities.
In 2003, New Wave Group developed its own workwear concept under the ProJob brand and sealed the venture with the acquisition of Jobman. Following its launch in workwear, New Wave Group is currently the only supplier to cover all three areas (promowear, promotional gifts and workwear) in the corporate promo sector. The Group has gradually expanded and set up organisations in Europe. New Wave Group has sales organisations and its own subsidiaries in 20 countries.
Via retailers, New Wave Group distributes the Craft brand in 25 markets in Asia, Europe and North America. The Orrefors Kosta Boda Group acquisition at the close of 2005 and the Cutter & Buck acquisition in 2007 secured a sound foothold in the North American market. Sales in non-Swedish markets make up 71% of the Group’s total sales and amount to SEK 3,268 million. Sweden is the Group’s most important market since most of the acquisitions the past years involved Swedish companies. However, the Group’s strongest organic growth is reported outside Sweden, with emphasis on the rest of Europe.
