A friendship that built a brand

When two childhood friends join forces, exciting things are bound to unfold. This is exactly what happened with Pål Robert Høisæt and Vegard Eismann Kjøl, who have built up Bogart to be among the best-known shops in Tønsberg.

In 2015, Bogart was named ‘Shop of the Year’ by both Virke, the Federation of Norwegian Enterprise, and the magazine Tekstilforum.

“It’s this kind of recognition that shows us that we’ve done something right,” says Høisæt. The first Bogart shop was started by three entrepreneurs at the Farmandstredet shopping centre in 1992 as an exclusive men’s shop with a focus on off-the-rack clothing. Kjøl began as a temporary employee on opening day, while Høisæt

was hired a few years later. Both ended up buying into the company at the age of 23.

In 2007, they took over running it completely. In 2012, the Torvgaten shop was renovated and a women’s section added on the second floor. In 2024, the Farmandstredet shop relocated to a larger space of 380 square metres and the product range was expanded to include both women’s and men’s clothing.

“Vegard and I have now run Bogart alone for around 18 years and worked together for 25. We complement each other exceptionally well and I can’t imagine either of us wanting it any other way – either a different business partner or different set-up than the one we already have,” says Høisæt.

We develop our own management software for Bogart, which we have been told is vastly superior to what is found at bigger businesses. We have complete control over our liquidity budgets and analyses.

But it is not only in business that Høisæt and Kjøl complement each other well.

“One day, Vegard tells me that he and his wife are going to do an ultrasound, and I replied, ‘We’re getting one tomorrow’,” says Høisæt with a smile.

Both of them ended up having three children, all born the same years.

“We live more or less synchronous lives! But that also means that we understand each other’s needs outside of work. That has been a huge advantage for us.”

Mentorship and professionalisation

The duo has learned a lot from not only the original owners and each other, but also everyone who’s crossed their path along the way. One of the key people in their lives has been Heine Wang, one of the founders of Nokas.
“He has followed us for many years and although he’s probably used to a few more zeros after the digits, he likes to say that ‘It’s all business’. He has been a mentor for us for years.”

When they took over the business, they established a new management board, began to prepare five-year plans and take a more strategic approach.

“I think it was Vegard who contributed most to professionalising Bogart. He’s a real Excel nerd. He’s one of the few people who manages to wear out a calculator,” smiles Høisæt.

“We also develop our own management software for Bogart, which we have been told is vastly superior to what is found at bigger businesses. We have complete control over our liquidity budgets and analyses. We have Vegard to thank for that, since he’s in charge of that part of the business, while I take care of other things.”

The management board is especially important to them.

“We think it’s fantastic to have that kind of support. When you run a shop or other type of business, you need to make all kinds of decisions, but we also need support, both professional and in general.”

Colleagues, not competitors in Texcon

Texcon has also been a significant resource for Bogart as an independently owned shop.

“Texcon is an incredibly forward-looking organisation. Thanks to Texcon, we have access to such retail chain benefits as cash discounts, good agreements and bonuses, which we would otherwise not have received. These are the kinds of things that make us extremely grateful for being a part of Texcon.”

Høisæt also appreciates the contact with other Texcon shops, who feel more like colleagues than competitors.

“Texcon events are both highly informative and exciting. I really appreciate having a meeting place where we can talk to other retailers facing the same challenges as we are. There’s a lot of openness among members. And it feels a lot more natural for me to talk to a retailer from Hamar or Molde than a neighbouring shop here in town,” he says.

Empowering employees to make decisions

Many of the staff members at Bogart have been there for years. Each shop has a manager with responsibility for a team. The youngest employee is 16 and the oldest 51.

Bogart has an overall strong company culture. It’s called the ‘Bogart Family’ and has acquired quite a good reputation.

“When people apply for a job here, many of them write that they want to become part of the Bogart Family. It’s not something we’ve advertised, but it’s become a thing locally. We think that’s just great.”

Part of the workplace culture is that employees are given considerable freedom to make their own decisions.

“We may not have a formalised strategy, but we do have a number of requirements for employees and I think they appreciate it because it also means that there’s room to make mistakes. What’s most important for us is that they make decisions that are well thought through.”

World beyond Tønsberg

Visibility in social media also plays a major role and Instagram is one of the most important platforms for Bogart. They’ve hired a professional photographer, but the models used are often staff members from the shops.

Profit margin pressure is always a concern, so we have to focus continually on volume growth. We can’t just sit back and be satisfied with the status quo. That won’t cut it in 2024.

“It means that customers who visit the shops also get to know us through Instagram. And considering the fact that 25 percent of our customers don’t live in the Tønsberg area, they only see us through Instagram and our online shop.

That’s why it’s so important that we come across as professionals. We’re not just a local shop, but have a national profile.”

Business acumen and profile building

Høisæt and Kjøl have found the right balance between business acumen and building a distinct profile – a combination that has been essential to Bogart’s success.
“’Okay, we can sell 40 units of that product in that colour, so we’ll buy it. But we’ll also buy those two unique coats that strengthen our profile.’ That’s something we’re really good at,” says Høisæt.

Having two shops offers the possibility to think creatively. Høisæt and Kjøl have developed a strategy that ensures that the shops in Tønsberg complement each other.
“We divide the brands into categories 1, 2 and 3. Farmandstredet sells more of categories 1 and 2, while Torvgaten focuses on the more exclusive category 2 and 3 products,” explains Høisæt.

Category 1 contains volume products, while categories 2 and 3 are more exclusive brands.
“This has proven to be a success formula for us. It means that both shops can offer something unique, while still complementing each other. It also means that Bogart can have products in different price ranges, making us relevant for more customers and giving us a much more exciting online shop.”

Texcon events are both highly informative and exciting. I really appreciate having a meeting place where we can talk to other retailers facing the same challenges as we are.

“You can’t have a product range that’s too narrow if you’re going to run a profitable shop in a relatively small city like Tønsberg. You need to have a fairly broad selection of products. This is possible for us because we have two shops in the same city. If these two shops were to be absolutely identical, with all the same brands, they’d be poaching sales from each other.”

He points out that the diversity of the range also offers more flexibility.
“Even though ready-to-wear clothing has always been the mainstay of the business, we also have a nice range of casual wear and a few high-end outdoor brands like Patagonia and Sail Racing. This gives us more legs to stand on. Variety is absolutely one of our strengths.”

According to Høisæt, customers don’t think about the shops as one being better than the other.

“They think, ‘There are two Bogart shops with a slightly different product range.’”

Growth, pressure and new possibilities

Høisæt makes clear that growth is necessary, especially online.
“We don’t have any concrete plans to open more brick-and-mortar shops, but we need to grow. Profit margin pressure is always a concern, so we have to focus continually on volume growth. We can’t just sit back and be satisfied with the status quo. That won’t cut it in 2024,” he stresses.

According to Høisæt, the sector has its challenges, but that’s also why this work is so exciting.

“You figure it out as you go along. And that makes this sector so fantastic, creative and fun. Once you get a taste for it, it’s hard to go back. It’s like using a tumble dryer and never having to hang clothes to dry again,” explains Høisæt.

Høisæt and Kjøl are both perfect examples of this. Both started as seasonal help and are now own the business. Anything is possible here, they tell their employees. When it comes to personal plans for the future, Høisæt chuckles when asked about continuing for another 18 years.

“Who knows, we may very well do just that. At the same time, we’re trying to make ourselves a bit superfluous in the shops. After all, we have a history of seasonal help taking over the company. I hope that tradition continues.”