Captain Uplight Floor lamp

 

 

By Rydéns has been around for over 60 years, which means there are a lot of stories to tell. We talk about everything from porcelain rabbits to generational change and international expansion. Follow us on our journey through time.

Småland entrepreneurial spirit since 1958

The story of the family business By Rydéns begins in scenic Gnosjö in 1958. The man behind the foundation was charismatic entrepreneur Arne Rydén, who had a weakness for marketing and sales. Early on, he understood that business happened in Stockholm. Therefore, it was a matter of course for him to organise an exhibition for wholesale on Sankt Eriksgatan. From the beginning, it was all about household utensils, ore candleholders and all kinds of gift items. As sales and demand increased, construction of Rydén's factory in Gnosjö commenced. With his own factory in place, it soon became clear that Arne Rydén thought of the whole of Sweden as his home market and that he was starting a nationwide “sales pitch”.

For a long time, long before nationwide general agreements, merchants had to sell their goods in one store at a time. A job that required patient travelling salesmen with the right attitude. The sales presentations for the stores were held from travelling exhibition buses crammed from floor to ceiling with everything from sandwich trays to wicker wooden baskets and Italian ceiling and table lamps from Florence. A curiosity in this context: A couple of the Italian lamp agencies were owned by Kurre Hamrin, one of Sweden's greatest football players of all time. At the end of the glamorous 80ies, national KF (Kooperativa förbundet, Swedish Co-operative Union) was Rydén's single largest customer.

Rydéns in Gnosjö shifts up a gear

In the early 1990s, when the financial crisis was raging in Sweden, Rydéns in Gnosjö had basically gone from manufacturer to importer, mainly from China and Taiwan. At the same time, there was an increased competition in the gift item market. Which contributed to more and more players starting to focus on really low prices, at the expense of quality and profitability. The company now faced tough challenges, and the time was right for a generational change. In 1995, the company Rydéns in Gnosjö was acquired by employees Annelie Rydén, Håkan Schill and Clas Rydén. A few years later, Magnus Wik joined the company through the acquisition of his company Smålandsdesign. The company marketed and sold, among other things, exclusive wooden articles. Pretty soon, the quartet realized that they actually were equipped with unique excellence, strong cohesion, tireless dedication and a common consensus on how the family business Rydéns would best face the future.

In addition, the decision was made to stop selling gift items. Now the goal was to streamline the business, to become really good at one product group: Lighting fixtures. This is where the foundation stone of the By Rydéns of today was laid.

The foundation stone for the By Rydéns brand is laid

In the first half of the 20th century, the Rydéns family business focused its energy on reducing costs, refining its product range and reviewing its overall offering in order to increase profitability. Although everything went in the right direction, there was a big dilemma: Rydéns in Gnosjö were still relatively unknown on the market. The brand was still associated with gift items. This is where the idea of ​​building a strong brand from scratch was born. Around 2005, extensive brand building efforts were introduced among employees, retailers and consumers. The focus of branding was on providing concrete answers to questions such as: What does Rydéns offer and stand for? What are our core values? How is Rydéns positioned in the market? Do employees share the management's brand vision? Involving employees was a must in order to build the brand from the inside out. When employees know what customer experience they are expected to deliver, regardless of the title on their business card, the brand is set up for success. At the beginning of 2011, Rydéns in Gnosjö completed its extensive branding work. The By Rydéns brand was born. Now a single brand platform was developed, with guidelines that reflect the values that the By Rydéns brand stands for. It laid the foundation for the company's new visual identity that runs like a common thread in everything from images, fonts, image-creating packaging and printed materials to tonality and language use.

Full control and quality at all levels – for the customer's sake

A high level of service, unique collections and attention to the smallest detail have made By Rydéns a strong, radiant brand in the lighting market. An important part of success is the organisation. A flat organisation with skilled employees and short decision paths, where ideas, different perspectives and creativity are valued. By Rydéns has gone from a traditional lamp importer to having meticulous control over the entire supply chain, from design and product development, manufacturing, quality assurance all the way to delivery and service commitments. A security that guarantees orderliness at all levels so the customer's focus can be on the core business. The company currently has its own branches in Sweden, Norway, Germany, China and Hong Kong. And through agents, established dealer networks and e-retailers, the family business By Rydéns is represented in various markets around the world. Thanks to quality-assured production lines and in-house staff in China, expensive intermediaries and costly mistakes are eliminated, which means that customers are offered the right quality products at the best prices. In addition, By Rydén's digital customer portal is constantly evolving. It reduces time-consuming administration, streamlines business processes and increases customer value and thus customer loyalty.

International with one foot in the Småland soil

By Rydéns stands for passion, professionalism, speed, and keeps what it promises. Should a sudden price inquiry arise during an ongoing negotiation, the solution is only a short phone call away (happened many times over the years). The production itself is scalable so that it can be adapted at short notice to customer requirements and market demand. The comprehensive solution from A to Z has contributed to By Rydéns scaling up its operations significantly in a number of different business areas such as interior designers, architects, B2B, home and business lighting and direct sales to consumers via its own e-commerce. In addition to this, By Rydéns annually launches two unique collections that stand out from the masses with their creative joy and variation abundance. Everything to brighten the home with a sophisticated quality lighting system that enhances the interior and keeps it together. The collections are created in close cooperation with hand-picked creators and leading designers who draw their inspiration from near and far.

Today By Rydéns is an innovative lighting company with a clear vision of sustainability that stands for the highest quality at all levels. And now, a new chapter is being written when the Småland investment company Midaq acquires 80% of the company. The acquisition will strengthen By Rydéns' position in the international market. Despite the fact that a lot has happened since 1958, the head office is still in Gnosjö where it all began.

- Assembly Instructions (PDF)

- Product Specification  (PDF)