Interview: Entering industry now more difficult than in my day, admits Svendsen

Industry icon Lars Svendsen is back in the business. Supporting his sons in their Nordic Fieldsport venture, he tells Angling International: “It was easier to enter the trade in my day.”

Angling International: What have you been doing since you sold Svendsen?
LS: A lot of fishing as well as hunting all over Europe and Africa. Also I have spent quite some time on a salmon fishery I bought back in 2023 on the River Tay in Scotland. It’s a 3km-long beat of the river, which includes a lovely 200-years old house.

Why are you returning to the trade?
I have been closely watching the industry since I left and saw some openings. When my two sons planned to enter the trade I didn’t hesitate to join them.

What is the management structure at Nordic Fieldsport?
The company is managed by my two sons, Henrik and Eric (pictured above right following the acquisition of Myran) with myself in a consultant role. We have a number of very experienced sales and marketing people who earlier worked for Svendsen Sport and Pure Fishing. Product development is headed by Anders Ulvforsen from Sweden who was the man behind the Wolfcreek brand. Besides that we have the production team from the Myran factory in Sweden. Our aim is to acquire iconic brands that have the potential for global growth. The business has already acquired the Myran spinner, Pulz Bait and Wolfcreek Lure brands and is actively looking at other business opportunities.

What are you looking achieve with the business? Where do you want to be in one and five years?
We are in no hurry. The plan is to carefully build the brands in a close cooperation with our retail partners around Europe. Of course we have ambitions but we will not make any short-cuts, sacrificing quality, deliveries or good service.

Looking back at your career, what do you consider your biggest achievement?
I have several achievements I am proud of. Coming from little Denmark – one of the smallest tackle markets in Europe – and to establish Svendsen Sport as one of the leading companies in Europe, with world famous brands like Savage Gear with massive sales in faraway markets like Australia and the USA – is something myself and the team are proud of. Rescuing the German D.A.M. company from the brink of a bankruptcy and turning it into a healthy and strong business again was quite a task. Later, selling Svendsen Sport to Pure Fishing in one of the biggest deals ever concluded in the European tackle trade fills me with pride.

What is your biggest regret?
Starting our United States corporation back in 2006. We lost an awful lot of money and suffered a substantial setback in Europe over the following years. Later we entered the US market again and with the first experience in our rucksack, we ended up doing pretty well there.

How has the industry changed since you left?
We have seen a continuation in the decreasing number of retail shops as some of the major players get even bigger. What I have noticed is that those still in business are the better businessmen while we earlier saw a lot of what you can call ‘happy fishermen’ starting a shop. I have also seen an industry at the supply side being more and more dominated by equity-owned companies. The equity funds are without doubt bringing new thinking and from time to time good management, but at the end of the day these companies are not here for selling fishing tackle – they are here for selling a company again after a couple of years.

What are the major challenges facing the industry?
Environmental factors like over-fishing in the sea, the effect of cormorants, water quality, hydro power and probably also climate change continue to provide the industry with major challenges. On the business side, I see another challenge for the tackle shops as it seems that banks and other financial institutions have less interest in supporting retail business in general. There is very little support if you want to start or to expand your business unless you have collateral from another source.

Are you optimistic about the future?
Yes, it seems participation is stable and in Scandinavia we have seen a trend in recent years of young fishermen entering the sport again. I also hear positive voices from many retailers all over Europe, so all in all I see a strong future for our sport and for those taking the business seriously.

What would be your advice to anyone entering the industry now?
It was easier to enter the trade before, but today the competition and the awareness of the consumers is very sharp. So unless you have or take over an existing well-known brand or you have a truly unique or innovative approach, it will be very difficult. Just starting with a ‘no-brand’ selling ‘me-too’ products will be very difficult – then it is all about pricing and that’s a loser’s game.