Growth over 8000%: Shaping New Tomorrow wins prestigious award
It all started with underpants in a small office in Aalborg.
Last night the Aalborg boys from Shaping New Tomorrow were celebrated on stage in front of the top of Danish business.
With more than 8000 percent growth in the last four years, the company won the Gazelle Award for Danish men’s clothing brand with the highest growth over the previous four years.
The fashion company thereby brings home, Double-A, one of the most prestigious awards in Danish business.
On Thursday evening, Bella Arena in Copenhagen set the scene for the award ceremony of annual nationwide Gazelle winners.
Despite challenges brought on by the pandemic in the retail industry over the last two years, North Jutlands’ Shaping New Tomorrow is the national winner of Dagbladet Børsens Gazelle award.
“It’s no secret that the pandemic has challenged us – for example, we had to postpone our international expansion for seven months due to shutdowns in Germany. This was costly.
But then we found other opportunities, including opening new stores in Denmark. I think that gives the award a special touch,” says Shaping New Tomorrow co-founder and CEO Kasper Ulrich.
Huge goals
Becoming a national Gazelle winner has been one of Kasper Ulrich’s major personal goals for Shaping New Tomorrow since 2015.
After being named the Gazelle of Northern Jutland last week, the company’s hopes of being awarded the overall winner rose,” he said.
“It’s something I’ve believed in and hoped for from the start. It’s an indescribable feeling we have right now. I can only repeat myself – I am insanely proud of how we have evolved as a company during the pandemic and how we have strengthened our unique community and team spirit.
I would like to express my deepest and humble gratitude to our employees, partners and customers. I can’t tell you how proud I am of our employees,” he says.
Focus on international expansion
During the pandemic, Shaping New Tomorrow has, among other things, opened international headquarters in Hamburg, from where the next years’ expansion into new markets will be driven.
And in the past year alone, the number of stores has doubled – with two stores in Denmark, Esbjerg and Odense. In June, Shaping New Tomorrow opened a store in Hamburg as part of a planned series of new stores in Germany.
Germany has been Shaping New Tomorrow’s largest international market in terms of online sales from the start, and there has been ongoing investment in marketing, sponsorships with sports stars, etc. In 2020 alone, Shaping New Tomorrow quintupled its sales in Germany.
“We have broad ambitions internationally. Right now, it’s primarily in the German market, where we’re looking to open in several German cities already at the start of the new year. This will also mean that our organization will grow significantly in the next year. And if you ask me, we’ve only just begun our journey.
Over the past year, Shaping New Tomorrow has grown from 60 to 130 employees. Kasper Ulrich expects to raise this number to 250 employees within the next year.
