It’s difficult to reach Joel Löwenberg without hearing the sound of logistics in the background. He’s calling between trips.
Two minutes later I would have been run over, he says with a laugh, but the seriousness in his voice is there.
Gymkompaniet has outgrown its clothes in Uddevalla. After four years of puzzling, where weight plates and treadmills were stacked to the heavens, the move is now underway to Trollhättan. And it’s not just any location. The business is moving into Saab’s old iconic factory premises.
We are completely packed in here now. Before the high season, we have to put things in front of each other and the flow dies. Now we get an area of 8,300 square meters, says Joel Löwenberg.
The Strategy Behind 650 Tons
Moving 650 tons of training equipment requires more than just strong backs. Joel has devised a six-week plan to ensure that customers don’t even notice that the warehouse is on the move.
This involves lowering inventory levels through aggressive sales of bulky goods, pausing orders from Europe and redirecting containers from Asia directly to the new address.
We are moving in three stages. First spare parts and surplus stock, then infrequently purchased goods, and finally the heart of the operation: packing stations and offices. All to be able to pack and ship orders every day during the transition.
Acquired the Carpentry Workshop to Secure the Deadline
But as anyone who has renovated knows: a deadline is rarely more than a pious hope. To gain control of the construction of the new changing rooms, gyms and offices in Trollhättan, Joel made a drastic decision six months ago: He acquired a stake in a carpentry workshop.
I was tired of chasing craftsmen who never showed up. By becoming a partner in a contracting company, we could outsource the job to them and have a completely different dialogue. It was a random move that turned out to be incredibly smart. Now I know they prioritize us, he says.
Despite the moving chaos, Joel has been keen to retain his team. With a search radius of a maximum of 40 minutes, he has managed to bring along the entire workforce from both Uddevalla and Mellerud.
I want to bring the team with me. They have been with me for many years and they are the heart of the business.
Sights Set on Norway – Despite the “Mockery”
But once the moving dust settles in Trollhättan, the next big challenge awaits. A challenge that Joel describes with a mixture of fascination and frustration: Norway.
It lies there and mocks us with its wealth, its bizarre price levels and its language that makes even the most demanding customers sound pleasant, he writes on Linkedin.
Eleven years ago, when he took over Gymkompaniet, his first decision was to stop selling to Norway. The logistics surrounding heavy, bulky goods across the border, however, was an economic nightmare. A single return could eat up the profit for an entire quarter. But now the desire seems to have returned.
Since we closed down, I’ve wanted to start up again. There is so much that is good about Norway and we receive many inquiries from there. I have reviewed the market safely 10 times and each time I am completely convinced that we could have taken a clear position there in both assortment and price, concludes Joel Löwenberg.