Alexander Lervik

Press / 2004

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Svenska Dagbladet

SvD-Salja

Svenska Dagbladet · Portraits & interviews · 2 pages

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SvD.se/naringsliv

BUSINESS

Saturday 24 April 2004 SWEDEN’S LARGEST BUSINESS NEWSPAPER SVENSKA DAGBLADET

SAX index | Nasdaq | Interest rate Short (3 mo) | Interest rate 5-year govt bond | Dollar SEK per dollar (7.73) | Euro SEK per euro (9.13) Stockholm Stock Exchange 1 year: +12.6%

PHOTO: LEIF R JANSSON / SCANPIX

gives Ericsson hope

Ericsson’s CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg surprised again yesterday with a significantly better report than expected. Ericsson management also now has a more positive view on the rest of the year. After three dark years, the telecom market is clearly on its way up.

Increased order intake • SALES INCREASED 9% • ORDER INTAKE ROSE 22%

But on the stock exchange, Ericsson shares slipped back. After the earlier price rise, many took the opportunity to lock in profits. The market also seems to have disliked that Svanberg did not provide any specific forecast for the second quarter. pages 4, 5, 6

Volvo shifts into a higher gear

Volvo has shifted focus – from recession to growth in an upward market. That was explained by a satisfied CEO Leif Johansson when yesterday he was able to report a sharp profit increase that lifted the share price. page 8

GAMBRO WEIGHED DOWN BY WEAK DOLLAR page 12

TOMMY ÖBERG THE ANALYSIS Ericsson and Volvo point the way out of the slump. But Swedish companies have rationalized hard. Jobs are delayed, but not gone. — page 9

SvD WEEKEND:

MOTOR We test the Kia Carens. Korean Kia wants to become the world’s largest car manufacturer, but in that case the basic technology must be developed. page 17

GADGETS DVD with recording is on its way to replacing video. Largely due to the price. Two years ago it was at 15,000 kronor, now at around 4,000 kronor. page 15

24 hours a day. If you can handle it.

SvD.se/naringsliv SvD It’s happening now.

32 BUSINESS

Business Saturday 24 April 2004

BACK PAGE

Shoe store Rizzo has shoes in bright colors displayed on illuminated glass shelves.

Concepts good business for retail chains

Shelves, lighting, and soft shapes. floor color increasingly important to attract customers

It has to be a concept store this spring. That is at least what the chains call the stores when they are revamped. The choice of shelves, lighting, and floor color is becoming increasingly important.

"To attract customers, you have to think of everything," says designer Alexander Lervik, who created the shoe store Rizzo's concept and interior design.

He based his work on the company's core values.

"In this case, it is Italian, exclusive, and a conscious big-city concept. It is an overall whole that concerns not only the interior design, but also that the staff acts professionally and that the right music is played."

Duka’s new interior design will be evaluated before all stores are revamped.

SHOPPING

The Rizzo store is in light blue and the shoes are displayed on small illuminated shelves. In the men's department, one flight down, the style is different. The walls are wallpapered with pictures of players from the Italian national football team, and in a corner there is a small bar where you can have a coffee or watch TV. The idea is that men won't get bored if their companions want to stay longer in the store.

Aside from the rotating conveyor belt where the latest men's shoes are displayed, there is nothing that stands out. Rizzo is very much an ordinary shoe store.

Why is it called a concept store?

"This is where a new interior design is tested, while new shoe styles are launched at the same time."

Far from Rizzo's elegance is the lifestyle store Combo with urban fashion – a new concept built to be able to grow if it catches on. The floor is bright red and the lamps are in variegated green fabric. Triple Five Soul jackets hang on the walls and Pony shoes sit on the shelves.

"We wanted to create a new environment and get away from the boutique feel," says Erik McAllister, responsible for the Combo store concept.

The store is fully owned by the brand distributor MNO International, which works with brands such as Pro-Keds, AND1, and New Era. But Combo carries far more brands than the ones MNO distributes.

"We work with all senses. Sound is important. In the background we play street sounds from big cities. There should be a pulse in the store," says McAllister.

A few stone's throws away, Duka is opening a concept store, and here it is all about a new interior design that will be evaluated before the entire chain gets a makeover. The white is going away, replaced by wood, steel, and red color tones.

"The interior design is extremely important for the atmosphere and for the products to be in an inspiring environment," says Cia Ekberg, marketing manager at Duka.

Lifestyle store Combo’s concept is urban fashion, there should be a pulse in the store.

Finnish jersey company Nanso is also opening a concept store; the reason is their rejuvenation on the design side, where fashion designers Paola Suhonen, Ida Sjöstedt, Nina Pirhonen, and Jenny Edlund have developed a young collection.

"The goal is to reach new consumers, and then it is important that the garments are displayed in the right environment," says marketing manager Mirkku Kullberg. The shelves have round, soft shapes, the walls feature wallpaper from the 70s, and the ceiling has lamps from Nanso's factory premises from the beginning of the last century. "The details are important. In the store we have small items that match the collection, for example a pair of rubber boots." SARA LARSSON 08-135096, sara.larsson@svd.se

PHOTO: GUNNAR LUNDMARK

To attract customers, you have to think of everything. Alexander Lervik Designer who created the concept for a shoe store.

SieMatic SL — uncompromising design

studio SieMatic Köksarkitekterna AB

tel 08-664 30 30 fax 08-666 00 16

Tue–Fri 11–18 Sat 11–15

Erik Dahlbergsgatan 35, 115 32 Stockholm

studiosiematic@koksarkitekterna.se

Miele Classic

English translation of the original article. Text read from the scanned original; small transcription errors may occur.