90 years of Trønder menswear

At the intersection of Carl Johan gate and Søndre gate in Trondheim, you’ll find the menswear store Gunnar Ree. They have been in operation on the same street for 90 years. This is one of the city’s last true menswear stores. Ready-to-wear clothing has comprised a large share of the sales over the years. However, their product package also consists of shoes and leisurewear.

“Gunnar Ree established the store in 1934. He ran the store himself for many years but had no offspring to take over at the end of his active career. That’s when my father-in-law, Arne Kobberrød, came into the picture. He had been a textile man and was already working for Gunnar Ree. He was offered the opportunity to take over the store and accepted. My wife, Gøril, started working there during school holidays. After we married, I was brought into the store where I’ve been working since 2001. Gøril and I now run the store and make all the decisions together. Among other things, we chose to keep the name, since it was well established here in Trondheim,” says general manager Jan Ove Reinås.

“Before the clothing store, I worked at a family-owned company, but there we sold paint. Designs and colours have always been an important part of my life. I often say that people who sell colours and sizes are pretty similar to people who sell colours and litres,” says Reinås, chuckling.

Same concept since 1934

According to Statistics Norway (SSB), 60% of newly established limited companies survive for more than one year. One of six limited companies survive for five years or more. Only a few manage to stay open for 90 years. Reinås says they have certain values that have always been strictly maintained.

“Gunnar Ree’s motto is: ‘Best possible quality at a reasonable price’. That has been very important to us. Customers know where they can find us and they know we have what they want. All our employees offer friendly and professional service. This is something that distinguishes us from our competition. Especially when it comes to ready-to-wear clothing. This is more demanding than the leisurewear department, as it’s a profession. Good service is also important, and we make sure that all customers are greeted by cheerful and friendly salespersons. If we’re able to deliver to our customers’ expectations, I think the store can stay up and running. There’s no hocus pocus about it. It’s honest work, and it involves being helpful and greeting customers with a smile.”

“It’s honest work, and it involves being helpful and greeting customers with a smile”

Less tailoring, more sizes

“When working with ready-to-wear clothing, you need a supplier who helps you with made-to-measure items. Whether the item is a suit, blazer, trousers or shirt, this is essential. To avoid too much made-to-measure, we’ve chosen to purchase a lot of special sizes at both the lower and higher ends. Very few stores here in Trondheim are able to compete with us when it comes to sizes. We have suit sizes for all types of men – from size 40 and all the way up to 70. All men need clothes to wear, and we have always delivered, ever since Gunnar Ree ran the store. We’ve been at this for so long that people know we carry a wide range of sizes, and we have many regular customers,” says Reinås with a smile.

“Texcon’s trend reports make it easy to keep up with trends”

Fashionable product package with Texcon on the team

“Pricewise, we are middle of the road. We’re one of the few classic menswear stores here in the city but we don’t limit ourselves to adults. We also carry clothing for teenagers. There has been an exciting development over the last few years, and today’s 50-year-old is younger than he was a decade ago. That’s why we need to keep up with the times and make sure we always have an up-to-date product package. Texcon’s trend reports make it easy to keep up with trends. They also make it easy to find suppliers, and today more than 99% of our suppliers are associated with Texcon. We enjoy a good partnership and have been members since the Herrcon era.”