Scandinavian group acquires iFish brand owner

Nordic Outdoor Group (NOG) has acquired Swedish sportfishing and outdoor company BIOS Aktiebolag, bringing the iFish brand into its growing Nordic tackle portfolio.

Formal ownership is due to transfer on September 1, when BIOS will become the sixth company in the group, joining Sølvkroken, Vision Fly Fishing, Aava, Fly Dressing and Fly Scene.

Based in Malung, Sweden, BIOS has developed iFish into a substantial name in the country’s spin-fishing sector, with a range spanning rods, reels, line, lures, ice-fishing equipment and outdoor accessories. It also owns the Pool 12 fly-fishing brand and distributes a selection of international brands.

The deal gives NOG a stronger foothold in Swedish spin fishing and establishes BIOS as the group’s Swedish home for the category. iFish is also expected to underpin a wider group push into ice-fishing equipment, while further development is planned in predator fishing.

NOG said it intends to retain BIOS’s commercial identity, team and local market presence, while investing in its own-brand strategy and a more modern digital and IT structure.

BIOS enters the group alongside a planned leadership handover. Current Head of Sales and Product, Gabriel Elfström, will become CEO on completion, succeeding Per Westerlund. Westerlund, a selling shareholder, will remain with the business for up to six months to support the transition.

NOG Group CEO, Leif Holst-Liæker, will become chairman of BIOS. He said:“BIOS is exactly the kind of company we set out to work with when we started building Nordic Outdoor Group: a strong niche brand, a clear own-brand strategy and people who know their market.”

Elfström added: “Becoming part of Nordic Outdoor Group gives us a stronger back-end, access to competence across five other companies and the resources to build iFish further – not least in ice fishing and predator fishing, where we see real potential beyond Sweden.”

Founded in 1994, BIOS reported 2025 turnover of SEK38 million (€3.4m) and employs nine full-time staff. NOG, established in 2024 by Norwegian family-owned investment company Camar Invest, reported approximately NOK200 million (€17m) in 2025 sales across five companies and six own brands.