E-commerce consultant Avensia has had an eventful late summer and autumn behind it. This summer, Ehandel.se reported on a tough second quarter for Avensia where overcapacity in the consulting industry and postponed customer investments put pressure on margins.
Now, the group is presenting preliminary revenue figures for September and the third quarter of 2026, which show a trend reversal. In September, net sales increased by 5 percent to SEK 40.7 million, compared to SEK 38.9 million in the same month last year.
For the entire third quarter, revenue landed preliminarily at SEK 90.3 million, an increase of 1 percent compared to SEK 89 million during the corresponding period last year. For the nine-month period January to September 2026, however, net sales have decreased by 6 percent to SEK 297.2 million, down from SEK 317.1 million.
Logistics Investment Compensates for Lower Utilization
According to the group's CEO Robin Gustafsson, it is primarily the investment in Supply Chain Management within the Information Management (IM) business area that is behind the revenue increase during the autumn, while the e-commerce segment Commerce continues to decline. He comments on the development in connection with the preliminary figures:
The growth in September is pleasing and goes against a continued weak market trend. Compared to September last year, we have increased the number of consultants within the group due to the Supply Chain Management investment within Information Management (IM). IM is therefore showing strong growth while Commerce continues to decline slightly. The match between consultants and assignments is rarely perfect in such a transition, and the billing rate fell slightly, which was however compensated by increased hourly rates.
SEK 13 Million Savings Package and Changes in Management
The development between the group's different parts is also reflected in the measures taken during the autumn. As recently as October 1, the subsidiary Avensia Commerce announced a savings program that includes staff reductions. The program aims to adapt the business to a challenging market and is expected to generate annual cost savings of SEK 13 million. The restructuring also entails a one-time cost of SEK 5 million, which will affect the third quarter.
Henrik Sellberg, CEO of Avensia Commerce, explained the decision when the savings package was presented:
This is a tough but necessary decision. The market situation has not improved at the rate we hoped for, and we see that we need to adjust our cost base to be strong in future business. At the same time, we continue to invest in what makes us relevant going forward – including our AI investment and a broadening of our business in related areas.
In addition to the operational changes, Avensia is also facing a shift in group management. As early as August, the company's CFO Lisa Logren announced that she is choosing to leave her position after three years with the company. She will remain employed during her notice period and will leave Avensia at the turn of the year.