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Following swiftly on the heels of its acquisition of BIOS Aktiebolag – owner of the iFish brand – the Nordic Outdoor Group (NOG) has further strengthened its position in the region’s fishing market.
The group has acquired 100% of the shares in Fibe AB, the Nordic’s leading supplier of live bait and ice fishing equipment. Based in Kungsängen outside Stockholm, the company is the largest and leading supplier of worms and maggots on the ice through the winter and worms for float and bottom fishing in the summer.
Leif Holst-Liæker, CEO of the Nordic Outdoor Group, who will become Chairman of Fibe, said: “The acquisition is the next step in ice and winter fishing after the purchase of BIOS and iFish. Fibe brings bait and ice fishing equipment, while the group adds a brand market presence and back-end. It is a well-run, profitable company with its own production and longstanding customer relationships.
“We plan to continue investment in Fibe’s own bait production and distribution capacity alongside its digital platforms to make the company more efficient and strengthen the experience for retailers and customers. We will also use the group’s presence in markets outside Sweden to widen Fibe’s reach.”
Andreas Nilsson, owner and CEO of Fibe, will continue as CEO and become a shareholder in the group. He said: “I have built Fibe over many years, and selling was never about stepping away. In the Nordic Outdoor Group we get an owner who understands our market. All customers and suppliers can be confident that I will lead Fibe and be as dedicated as before for many years to come.
“Reinvesting in the group was an easy decision – I would rather own a share of something bigger and keep building than stand still. For our customers in Sweden, nothing changes: same people, same products, same delivery. In Norway we will take the time this deserves, together with the partners who have helped build our position there.”
Holst-Liæker added:“Fibe is a company we have followed with interest for a long time. Live bait is less glamorous but one of the most important parts of our industry: it is what gets people out on the ice in February and onto the lake with a float in July, week after week, and it is where a great many anglers start.
“Andreas has built a leading position from his own production and the fact that he chooses to reinvest and stay on tells you what you need to know about his belief in what we are building. Together with iFish, Fibe gives the group real weight in ice and winter fishing.”
