Scandinavian Business Seating

Scandinavian Business Seating owns the Scandinavian brands HÅG, RBM and RH, and has about 480 employees working together to realise the company’s vision: “To make the world a better place to sit!” The group has its head office in Oslo and production units in Røros, Norway and Nässjö, Sweden. In addition, the group has sales companies in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, UK, France, Switzerland, Singapore and China. In 2012, Scandinavian Business Seating achieved a turnover of around NOK 1 billion.Ownership The company was founded in June 2007 and changed its name to Scandinavian Business Seating in autumn 2008. All three of the amalgamated companies were privately owned, strong entrepreneurial companies with long tradition and experience in the development, production and sale of office chairs in Europe. HÅG has existed since 1943, RBM since 1975 and RH since 1977. Scandinavian Business Seating is backed by solid owners, the Swedish private equity company Ratos AB, which is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Business concept Scandinavian Business Seating develops and produces Scandinavian designed office chairs for private and public office environments. The company's value chain encompasses everything from research and development via production to marketing, sales and distribution. The company has modern production units in Røros in Norway and Nässjö in Sweden. The three brands HÅG, RH and RBM, are marketed, sold and distributed through both its own companies and an independent network of dealers. The company maintains good, close dialogues with professional dealers, interior architects, ergonomic designers and buyers who, together with our own organisation, help to ensure an effective dialogue with and service for our end-users. Market position Scandinavian Business Seating’s main market is Scandinavia, which accounts for about 60 per cent of its total sales. Sales to other European markets account for around 35 per cent of total sales, with Germany, the Netherlands and the UK constituting the largest markets. Office chairs and seating solutions account for about one third of the total office furniture market in Western Europe, which is estimated to be worth around NOK 20 billion per annum. Today, the group is the market leader in office chairs in Scandinavia, with a market share of about 35 per cent. Over the course of the last few years, the group has also bolstered its position as the largest manufacturer of office chairs in Western Europe, in terms of value. During the same period, Scandinavian Business Seating has secured by far the largest market shares on the European market. Scandinavian Business Seating is well positioned in terms of price, function, design, environment and geographical cover to win new market shares within all its market segments. Business strategy Scandinavian Business Seating has clear ambitions to expand still further, thereby cementing and strengthening its position as the leading office chair specialist in Europe. We abide by our motto of “different and better”, working with innovative new products and pursuing an offensive marketing strategy, inspired by two distinct market trends – health and the environment. These trends originate in Scandinavia, with Scandinavian Business Seating as a frontrunner in the field. This gives us a significant lead and advantage over our competitors, which we shall exploit by combining ergonomics, environmental awareness and quality with outstanding design. We know that we are on the right track, which has been further confirmed by one of our office chairs being the only work chair in the world to bear the Swan Nordic eco-label. A number of our office chairs have also won national and international design awards.