THE LITHUANIAN COMPANY Ripo, set up offices in Bromma outside of
Stockholm in March. The company specialises in sliding closet doors, room dividers and closet interiors. The company grew too big for the domestic market and chose to expand into the Swedish market.
- In the last five years, we spent a lot of time researching foreign markets, says Oleg Sidorenko, in charge of the Swedish office and Ripo’s Scandinavian clients.
Why did you choose Sweden?
- The demand for our products came from Scandinavia and Sweden. Stockholm is known as The Capital of Scandinavia and that’s why we chose to set up offices here. Stockholm is a central node for the Nordic countries and it is very convenient having a regional head office in Stockholm.
RIPO’S PRODUCTION is still in Latvia and Oleg Sidorenko’s role in Sweden is to be the connection between Scandinavian customers and the production in Latvia.
ONE MAJOR DIFFERENCE between Swedish and Latvian customers is that Swedes want everything in white.
- My colleagues in Latvia consider it a bit odd and different having all doors and interiors in white. They are not used to that and it is a little strange to us.
Another difference is that everything stops in Sweden in July and August.
- It is a major problem for us to have such a great dip in these two summer months. In Latvia there is nothing like the “industrial vacation” when everything stops, there is always someone working. You just have to adapt to the market.
IN THREE TO FIVE YEARS, Ripo is planning further expansion and are looking at Iceland, Norway or Denmark.
Emelie Ring