Yesterday, over 500 visitors gathered to participate in Stora Ehandelsdagen 2026. After an intensive day filled with panel discussions and analyses, the event concluded with a gala dinner where the E-star Awards were presented for the seventh consecutive year. The award, organized by the recruitment company E-commerce Recruit, aims to highlight key individuals who have driven the industry forward during the past year.
Jonny Rosengren, Marketing Manager and founder of E-commerce Recruit, believes that a common thread among this year's winners is the ability to combine growth with bottom-line results.
What unites this year's winners is that they are not only skilled in e-commerce. They have found new ways to create business, build customer relationships and develop their operations. Several also demonstrate how strong growth can be combined with increased profitability and a clear customer focus. This is precisely the kind of competence and entrepreneurship we want to recognize with the E-star Awards.
Edblads European Expansion Rewarded by the Jury
While five of the six categories are decided by a public vote, the winner in the category of Årets E-handelsprestation (E-commerce Achievement of the Year) is selected by an industry jury. This year, the jury's choice fell on Eva Boding, CEO and partner of the jewelry brand Edblad & Co.
Over the past five years, Edblad has shown an average annual growth of around 35 percent with maintained profitability. E-commerce today constitutes the company's largest single sales channel and accounts for approximately 40 percent of total turnover, in a model that combines online sales with its own stores and retailers.
The jury particularly emphasized the ongoing international expansion and the organizational shift from a domestic market to seven active markets with localized logistics and marketing. The investment in Europe has yielded clear results, not least in Germany where sales have increased by over 200 percent so far in 2026, while the brand has also gained a foothold at international department stores such as KaDeWe and Liberty London.
Profit Improvement and Data-Driven Conversion
In the public categories, five additional winners were voted for during the evening. The award for Årets E-commerce Manager (E-commerce Manager of the Year) went to Tahira Music, who currently works as Head of Commercial at the skincare company Skinome. With previous experience from companies such as H&M, Åhléns, Filippa K and NA-KD, she is praised for her work in combining data analysis and commercial understanding to drive growth and conversion, as well as for her active implementation of AI in the company's working methods.
The award for Årets digitala marknadsstjärna (Digital Marketing Star of the Year) went to Elin Roaks at the children's product company Twistshake. Through a combination of influencer marketing, creative content and data-driven advertising, she and her team have built a commercial engine for the company's international business. With a sharpened focus on efficient marketing and profitability, the company has, according to information from the award winner, managed to improve its EBITDA result by 485 percent so far in 2026.
From the Stage to the Award Ceremony
One of the profiles who was frequently seen at Stora Ehandelsdagen was Joel Löwenberg, CEO of Gymkompaniet, who during the day, among other things, led the questioning of the payment companies on stage. During the evening gala, he himself took to the stage to receive the award as Årets Inspiratör och Kunskapsspridare (Inspirer and Knowledge Sharer of the Year). Joel Löwenberg has taken Gymkompaniet from 2 to 115 million kronor in turnover and is rewarded for sharing both successes and mistakes with transparency and self-deprecation in podcasts, lectures and on LinkedIn.
The category Årets Drivkraft inom Hållbarhet (Driving Force in Sustainability of the Year) was won by Oskar Karlsson at Gårdens Mathantverk. After leaving the financial sector, he has built an e-commerce platform that helps small-scale Swedish food producers with distribution, marketing and sales. The business thus creates a digital sales channel for farms that focus on organic production and good animal welfare.
Finally, Jemina Pomoell and Maria Paulsson Rönnbäck, founders of the outdoor brand Astrid Wild, were awarded Årets Rising Star (Rising Star of the Year). By involving a community of over 100,000 women directly in product development, the duo has created a niche offering in an established market. The company now has customers in around 40 countries and grew by 40 percent in 2025, with international sales accounting for almost half of total turnover.