Give young people a chance

On the wall behind the Thomassen 1960 clothing store is a photograph that tells a story – a story of hard work, passion and generosity.

A portrait of Ole Thomassen, founder of the store in 1960, is a reminder of how he started what would become one of Vennesla’s most popular clothing stores. Since then, the store has become an institution for women’s, men’s and children’s wear.

Now in 2024, the store is being run by a third generation – the founder’s grandchildren, sisters Linn-Hege Svendsen and Merethe Thomassen. Both have gone along on purchases since they were very young, but they were never forced to take over the business.

“We’ve both tried other things, but realised we still had a passion for the family business. And it’s fun,” says Svendsen with a smile.

Collaboration and support

Svendsen is both the general manager and store manager, and her sister is the assistant store manager. They have both found a balance in their working relationship and feel that they complete one another.

They took over the business from their father, Kenneth Thomassen, and he is still involved as a board member and mentor – a role that provides valuable support.

“Dad has always been generous. He’s been focused on ensuring that we learn things on our own and enjoy ourselves, and that we participate and are involved, which is what he experienced with his own father. He wants the store to live on,” she says.

“We’ve tried other things, but realised we still had a passion for the family business.”

Linn-Hege Svendsen

More than 700 beautiful square metres

Plans to move Thomassen 1960 began more than a year ago as a measure to secure the future and gain more control over rent payments. They had lost their lease agreement for women’s wear and also lost NOK 3 million in revenue. At this point, the store was also outdated. They decided to buy a building right across the street.

In February this year, the new 720 m² store was ready to welcome customers. They also changed the name of the store from ‘Ole Thomassen’ to ‘Thomasson 1960’ for a more modern concept and to enhance their profile.

“Over the last several years, we have made a number of changes, like starting a children’s wear store, investing a lot of money and making some bold choices by going against the flow. This has been costly, but it’s turned out really well, and we are very grateful to Texcon for having our backs.”

Creative reuse

Moving house also involved extensive renovations:

“We wanted the store to stand out, so we avoided the ‘plain white and standard’ style. Dad is quite creative too, and we also hired many local tradesmen who we fully trust. We are very pleased with the results,” says Svendsen.

Kenneth Thomassen says that about 90 per cent of the store’s interior has been renovated, and only 10 per cent is new.

“I’m a jack of all trades and have a strong network, so we’ve received lot of good help. When building this type of store, you need some good people to bounce ideas off,” he adds. Among other things, they have rehabilitated several racks and mannequins by using automotive paint. This has given the items new life at a reasonable price.

“In the long run, the costs won’t be too high if you do things properly right away.”

Kenneth Thomassen

Industrial flooring for noise reduction

“Most stores generally use parquet flooring, but we decided to install industrial flooring. This was what surprised me the most, and other stores should check it out, because it results in far less noise and reverberation. It doesn’t cost more and it’s much softer for employees to walk on.”

Creating a pleasant atmosphere

They decided to create a store with a warm and inviting atmosphere. Here there is a coffee station, a play area for the kids and large fitting rooms, including one room adapted for wheelchair users.

“In the long run, the costs won’t be too high if you do things properly right away. Yes, we bought the most expensive carpets, but that makes people think: ‘Wow, what a nice place!’” says Thomassen.

“We have looked at every single detail. Everything from changing logos to switching out bags. We really wanted to enhance our style,” Svendsen confirms. “It’s terrific that the girls are so dedicated and working hard – it’s fantastic. I hope that we’re investing in their future so that they have a good place of employment as long as they are active in the workforce,” says Thomassen

Keeping up with the times

The product range and the store’s concept also underwent an upgrade. There was a growing sense that the various branches were not entirely harmonised. So they headed to Texcon and Kristine Andersen for a thorough review.

“We put it all on the table. It was a bit scary, but also incredibly worth it,” says Svendsen.

Thinking round with Texcon

Kristine helped them on their way, especially with the women’s wear store.

“We had tried, failed and given up hope, but she pointed out several things asking, ‘Why don’t you do it this way?’. We procured several well-known women’s wear brands and can see that this has enhanced our profile. We’ve seen an enormous increase in revenue in just a few months.”

They took in Olajeans, Part Two, InWear, Ivy Jeans, Bestseller, Neo Noir and MSCH Copenhagen. Men’s wear has a good mix of Bestseller, Gant, Barbour, Replay, Gabba, Matinique and Olymp.

New brands for a new age

“We now have a solid foundation. Customer shopping carts have become considerably larger, but they are thrilled with all we’ve done,” says Svendsen.

“Besides, we are very conscious of product exposure. We don’t want to get a reputation for only becoming more expensive. Yet we’ve seen that customers are more focused on quality and purchase items that will last. And we have to keep up with the times. We need that mix. And this has been well received.”

“Texcon is also strongly focused on the younger generation, that we feel seen and heard.”

Linn-Hege Svendsen

Tools for success

According to Svendsen, this is largely thanks to Kristine.

“She’s given us many excellent tools that we continue to use. As she told us: ‘What’s your concept? Stay true to that!’.

Texcon is also strongly focused on the younger generation, that we feel seen and heard. We find that they’re interested in what we have to say, and we’re never afraid to call,” she adds.

Leaving the responsibility to the next generation

Thomassen took over operations after his father at an early age, just as he now is leaving the responsibility to his own daughters.

“And if the father in the house starts interfering …?” “Oh no, we 60- to 70-year-olds can’t keep up with the fashion trends of girls and boys ages 10 to 20. That’s why we need good people around us,” he says.

Among other things, his daughters have been charge of purchases over the last five years.

Learning from experience

“I attended purchasing meetings at an early stage. I made some mistakes, but I learned from them and made sure to do things differently next time. We have to give young people the chance to make mistakes and learn from them. They won’t learn anything if they spend all their time in the store. Some people complain that they have no one to take over, but they may have experienced employees in the store who are 25 years younger, and who have been working there for 10–15 years. Why didn’t they start the process earlier? A few of those employees might have been able to take over operations and they could have avoided closing down.”

According to Thomassen, it’s all about enabling someone to take over at an early stage.

“It’s a pity. I think many of the good, old stores could have continued to exist today had they only thought along those lines.”

“We have to give young people the chance to make mistakes and learn from them. They won’t learn anything if they spend all their time in the store.”

Kenneth Thomassen

Future plans – and the joy of freedom

Svendsen emphasises the importance of keeping up with the times to ensure the future survival of the business.

“We chose to renovate the store to give it a modern look. We keep up with brands, and I also believe in being accessible online and in the online store,” she says.

“Now we’ll work on the accounts after spending a lot of time and resources on the online store and ensure that all channels are aligned. We have found our place, things are up and running, and we’re optimistic about the future, even in these challenging times.”

The father of the house is also keeping busy in the store. But he also sets aside time to relax.

“I go out with the cardboard and empty the rubbish. And when I’m done with that, I have my coffee. And I also go to the cabin. Do some fishing. That’s what you can do if you just plan things in advance. If I hadn’t had someone to take over, I would have had to stand here myself,” says Thomassen.