The UK arm of popular Swedish childrenswear brand, Polarn O. Pyret has doubled the size of its marketing team over the last year. In the last month alone, they have added 2 new hires, and are in the process of expanding the workforce further.

Operating from a suite of offices in The Lawn building in Uphill Lincoln, the business has had a busy and successful year, beating its sales target by 60% despite Covid-19 lockdowns closing non-essential retailers.

Polarn O. Pyret UK has operated flagship stores dedicated solely to the brand, as well as concessions in leading department stores across the UK and Ireland since 2006.

However, the pandemic created the opportunity to further grow online sales via their own well-established websites, as well as with the online offerings with the UK’s largest clothing retailer, Next, and family favourite John Lewis.

Mats Nilsson, who co-owns the UK and Ireland business with his wife Jo, says, “When the pandemic hit, there was so much uncertainty for the retail sector. However, the increased strength of our marketing team allowed us to create a clear digital strategy and we grew more successfully than we planned in such turbulent times, meaning the team now needs to expand even further. Of course, a lot of our success is down to the quality and popularity of the Polarn O. Pyret brand.”

The brand was founded in Sweden in 1976 to meet the needs of active, eco-conscious families seeking out children’s clothes that looked good, but were hard wearing and a match for the changeable Northern European weather.

Way ahead of its time, the brand has prided itself on manufacturing and selling clothes in the most sustainable way possible. With 85% of their clothes produced sustainably they are already an industry leader with the aim of achieving 100% by 2025. The clothes are unisex, extremely durable, and designed so that each item should be ‘handed down’ and worn by at least three children. As an example, the fabric used to make their swimwear is created from recycled fishing nets and their famous fleece jackets from recycled PET bottles.

Mats continues, “Polarn O. Pyret has been named the most sustainable brand in Sweden for the last 10 years in a row and we were a Drapers Sustainability Awards finalist last year. It regularly sets ambitious goals in its quest for greater sustainability, and is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to achieve these.”

Head of Marketing at Polarn O. Pyret UK, Luisa Cacioppo-Smallwood, says, “Like so many other businesses, we have been presented with some really tough challenges in the last year, but our growth in online sales has been hugely exciting. We have a lot of expertise in our team now and I’m delighted that we’re all committed to continuing its expansion. We’re as passionate about creating opportunities and nurturing talent in our vibrant city as we are about our incredible brand, and extremely positive about what the future holds for us all.”