Vestre

Vestre has a strong market position in Scandinavia, especially in Oslo and Stockholm, and in recent years they have sought further growth from international markets. With their award-winning design, they have successfully established offices in London, Berlin, New York and Los Angeles. And for Vestre, it’s never just about the furniture. According to Vestre’s Commercial Director Romy Rawlings, the CEO Jan Christian Vestre always talks about the bigger picture. So, just as their business is about more than just maximising profits, their journey to international markets is about more than just pursuing growth. It’s about exporting Nordic values to the world.

A central principle that underpins urban development across the Nordics is the so-called “everyman’s right”, which gives the general public a legal right to roam freely across both public and private land. This notion that nature should be free for everyone to enjoy, has gained a lot of interest in international markets, and particularly in the US. There is an increasing understanding that developing shared public spaces for citizens can be an efficient tool in creating more inclusive and social communities.

From Oslo’s Aker Brygge to New York’s Times Square and King Cross in London, Vestre’s timeless designs now decorate many famous locations and outdoor spaces around the world. Recently, Vestre has experienced great success in the US market, where in 2020, they surpassed their budget target by 140%.

When Romy Rawlings started as Commercial Director of Vestre in the UK, the company had completed some projects in the UK market but needed someone to drive the demand further and scale the size of the projects. Having a dedicated person to look after the market significantly helped Vestre scale their operations and understand the differences between the UK and Scandinavian markets. When the team was small, it was also essential that Romy was able to direct her full focus on the things that would bring the most value to the business.

“Partnering with Goodwille was very valuable. They organised the whole practical side of our UK operations, from the initial company registration to VAT registration, accounting and HR & Payroll support as the team grew. Having all this administrative help meant I did not need to worry about these distractions, and I could use my energy on the commercial side of the business and client work. Organising these processes myself would have taken a great deal of my time, so I am very grateful for the support we received in the early stages of our UK market expansion.”

The UK business is going strong and although 2020 put a strain on everyone, Romy shared that it has also been the best year in the company’s history. The pandemic highlighted just how important public outdoor spaces and parks are for our everyday wellbeing and now there is a sense of urgency to direct more money to urban development. “In Scandinavia and Germany, some of Vestre’s biggest clients come from the public sector whereas in the UK the level of public spending has typically been lower. However, the covid-19 crisis has pushed the UK government to allocate new money for the recovery of town centres and refurbishing outdoor spaces. As investments in public spaces are likely to only increase in 2021, Vestre is in a good position to grab these new market opportunities.”