Nornorm

NORNORM launches in Germany and revolutionises the working world with subscription office furniture

Berlin/ Copenhagen, May 11 2022 – NORNORM, a subscription-based furnishing service offering radically affordable workspace solutions through circular renting models, is expanding its business to the German market. The startup, headquartered in Copenhagen, was founded in 2020 by former IKEA manager Anders Jespen as well as investor and Skype co-creator Jonas Kjellberg. The two have the goal and vision of applying the circular economy model to office furniture by having companies subscribe to furniture instead of buying it. This increases flexibility and saves resources at the same time. NORNORM's model is based on a simple premise: Don't buy office furniture, subscribe to it. The large investment block for office furniture is eliminated and replaced by flexible costs of three euros per square metre of office space. NORNORM already has some well-known brand clients like Wolt, Electrolux and Klarna.

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NORNORM was founded in partnership with the international furniture giant IKEA. Today, the start-up is independent, but IKEA is still on board as a strategic investor. After a successful start in Scandinavia and initial expansion steps in the Netherlands, NORNORM is now expanding its activities to Germany. The team in Germany is led by Julian Jacobi and Nikolas Hartlieb. As Head of Growth Germany, Julian is responsible for sales and partnership management. Before joining NORNORM, he worked at fintech scale-up Spendesk and SaaS startup Uberall. Nikolas Hartlieb is Head of Operations Germany and responsible for operations in the country. Prior to NORNORM, Nikolas was a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

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“Our mission is to save as many resources as possible. Now we are expanding our proven model to the biggest market in Europe and this will have a big impact. For the planet but also for the employees in Germany who will benefit from our first class service and furniture for improved well-being and more productivity,” says Anders Jepsen, CEO and Co-Founder NORNORM.

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“Germany is an attractive and growing market. We want to take part in this development. In constantly changing times, capital investments in buildings, office space and office furniture are unattractive and inflexible for our clientele. From us, they receive a custom-fit furnishing concept and exactly the office furniture they need, delivered directly without delay,” says Julian Jacobi, Head of Growth Germany.

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NORNORM furniture is manufactured by renowned brands such as Hay, Martela and Herman Miller and combines long durability with timeless, Nordic design. The aim is to significantly extend the lifespan of the furniture. If a company no longer needs certain pieces, NORNORM picks them up and refurbishes them so that they can be used again elsewhere. With 10 million tonnes of office furniture ending up in landfills every year in Europe alone, NORNORM is driven by the goal of creating a fully recyclable solution for workplaces and reducing some of the burden on the planet caused by office furniture.

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NORNORM has over 50 employees and offices in Copenhagen (head office), Amsterdam, Stockholm and Berlin.

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NORNORM's Germany launch in the media

Finanzen.net: "NORNORM: "Netflix für Möbel" kommt nach Deutschland"

Salzburger Nachrichten: "Büromöbel im Abo: Fokus auf Kreislaufwirtschaft"

t3n: "Ikea bringt Büromöbel-Abo-Startup Nornorm nach Deutschland"

Giga: "Möbel im Abo: Ikea setzt auf das Netflix-Prinzip"

Finanznachrichten: "Ikea bringt Büromöbel-Abo-Startup Nornorm nach Deutschland"

Online Händler News: "Ikea-Beteiligung: Mietmöbel-StartUp startet in Deutschland"

Silicon canals: "IKEA-backed NORNORM launches its subscription-based furnishing service in Germany: Know more here"
L'entrepreneuer: "NORNORM, soutenu par IKEA, lance son service d’ameublement par abonnement en Allemagne : en savoir plus ici"

Techfieber: "NORNORM: Kreislaufwirtschaft für Büromöbel #Startups"

Business Insider: "Darum investiert Ikea in ein Startup für Büromöbel, das eine Gefahr für das eigene Geschäftsmodell sein könnte"

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About NORNORM

NORNORM is a subscription-based furnishing model on a mission to define the future of how we work. The company was founded in 2020 by former IKEA manager Anders Jepsen along with venture capitalist and Skype co-creator Jonas Kjellberg with the purpose and vision to apply a circular model to office furniture.

The company specialises in providing flexible, affordable and inspiring work environments through using, and reusing, resources intelligently in order to promote the well-being of employees, businesses and the planet. NORNORM employs over 50 people and has offices in Copenhagen (HQ), Amsterdam, Stockholm and Berlin.

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Learn more at www.nornorm.com

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Company Contact

Julian Jacobi – julian.jacobi@nornorm.com

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Agency Contact

Philipp von Roeder – VONROEDER COMMUNICATIONS –

nornorm@vonroeder-communications.com

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Exclusive Insights from NORNORM's Circular Breakfast at Tech Arena 2024

At this year's Tech Arena, one of Scandinavia's largest tech events, NORNORM hosted the Circular Breakfast, bringing together industry leaders, innovators, and forward-thinkers to explore the role of technology in shaping the future of circular companies. We caught up with a few of our expert panellists afterwards to gain exclusive insights on the topics discussed.

Nanna Gelebo (BCG) on Bridging Linear and Circular Business Models

Nanna Gelebo has been a Partner at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Stockholm for 12 years, with a strong track record of driving transformative change in the retail sector on everything from strategy to implementation.

Key Insights

Nanna discusses the concept of 'cross-fertilisation' between linear and circular business models. She highlights the importance of transforming transactional customer relationships into relational ones through circular efforts, emphasising that rental and second-hand products can serve as gateways for consumers into more sustainable consumption patterns. This approach not only benefits the environment but also opens new avenues for business growth.

Takeaway

Linear business models do not have to stay linear. You can start to become more circular by gradually integrating a circular business model into your current linear one, through e.g. rental and second-hand products, building a circular set-up that suits your business specifically.

Marcus Linder (RISE) on Evaluating and Ensuring Circular Claims

Marcus Linder is the Director of Business Design at the Research Institute of Sweden (RISE). He holds a PhD in Technology Management and Economics from Chalmers University of Technology, specified in environmental research, with his research having been applied industrially in procurements by industry giants such as Volvo.

Key Insights

Marcus brings attention to the critical aspect of a product's end-of-life plan. He emphasises that being 'potentially circular' is insufficient without a concrete and, preferably legally binding, plan for product lifecycle management. This perspective is crucial for customers evaluating circular claims, pushing companies to not just promise sustainability but to embed it into their actual business practices.

Takeaway

To remain credible towards industry peers and customers, the best practice is to have a clear, communicable, and incentivised plan for your circular business model that customers can trust and rely on. It is important that customers should be able to evaluate and ensure your claim of circularity and end-of-life product plans.

Vojtech Vosecky on Being Authentic when Marketing your Circular Efforts

Vojtech Vosecky is one of the leading circular economy advocates, with experiences ranging from being the co-founder of the successful think-tank Institute of Circular Economy, working for the European Parliament, and the world-leading organisation Circle Economy. In 2022, he was also selected as one of the Top Green Voices to follow in Europe by LinkedIn.

Key Insights

Vojtech stresses the importance of being hyper-authentic in the communication of your circular business principles. For him, it’s about being bold in stating what you stand for, challenging misconceptions, and creating moments of realisation for your audience (think true “aha-moments”). His approach - educate, inspire, and agitate - is a formula that companies can use to effectively market their circular efforts. Vojtech highlights that no matter the format of your marketing, and to avoid the trap of greenwashing, be authentic and stand your ground, whilst always backing up with research. That always wins.

Takeaway

When marketing your circular or sustainable business efforts, especially on LinkedIn, use the three principles of educating, inspiring, and agitating - ideally in one go. Be authentic, use visuals, and create truly educating moments. Use facts whenever you can. However, be careful not to over-do them - and always, always, double check them.

“In the end, what is it about? It's about creating a relationship between the user and this object. I think we all have a strong link to things that are meaningful, that have been charged by accompanying our life.”

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In the end, what is it about? It's about creating a relationship between the user and this object. I think we all have a strong link to things that are meaningful, that have been charged by accompanying our life.