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The mail order business that Clas Ohlson started in 1918 in Insjön is now an established European retail business. There are about three thousand staff working in Sweden, Norway, Finland and the UK who all follow our company motto “Making things easier for people to solve their everyday practical problems”. You are warmly welcome to read about the journey we have made, the future challenges we face and the values, concepts and responsibilities on which our business operations based.
Clas Ohlson is a rapidly expanding retail business with sales of over SEK 5 billion in Sweden, Norway, Finland and the UK. The Head Office lies in the same town where its business operation began in Insjön, Dalarna County. The company has been listed on Stockholm's Stock Exchange (OMX) since 1999.
Our Media Centre contains an overview of our press releases, current store openings, relevant company information and other news of interest. Images, video clips and important contact information are also found here. You are welcome to contact us regarding any of your media related requests. Ring our switchboard at +46 (0)247-444 00 or e-mail us with any queries at press@clasohlson.se
Do you share our view that helping people solve their everyday problems whether big or small is one of the most satisfying things one can do? Then Clas Ohlson may be the company for you with exciting multifaceted roles and job assignments on local, national and international levels. At Clas Ohlson the possibilities for advancement, training and personal development are endless.
There are several ways to contact us. Click on the link that best suites your needs and you will access your information more quickly. Uncertain about who to contact, call our main switchboard at +46 (0)247-444 00 or Customer Services at +46 (0)247-445 00 and you’ll receive the assistance that you need. We look forward to hearing from you!
It should always be easy and convenient to find what you need at Clas Ohlson. In Sweden and Norway, we sell a wide array of home, multimedia, electrical, leisure and hardware products both though our online store and by mail order. In both Finland and the UK, sales are conducted through our expanding retail network. All our purchasing, transport and goods are handled responsibly according to strict environmental and sustainability standards.
Clas Ohlson publishes yearly sustainability reports in August.
Reports and documents
Do you have comments on how we work with and report on sustainable development/CSR issues?
CSR feedback
Clas Ohlson sells a range of environmentally and socially responsible products.
Selected eco-products
Our sustainability work in practice
Sustainability case studies
Clas Ohlson aims to contribute toward better working conditions and promote human rights throughout its operations, including its own employees and those of its suppliers and manufacturers. We place demands on suppliers and verify their compliance, whilst developing long-term relationships with them and supporting their efforts to achieve meaningful improvements in working conditions.
Clas Ohlson is purely a retail company. The company does not own any factories, but purchases its entire product range from suppliers and manufacturers in 30 countries. 38 percent of our products are purchased directly from manufacturers in Asia. Direct purchasing gives us the opportunity to monitor and support the manufacturers, particularly in countries with a lack of national legislation, insufficient monitoring of existing laws or corruption. We strive for long-term relationships with our suppliers and manufacturers, and believe in cooperation and active dialogue.
Verifying and working for improvements in our supply chain is a long-term and complex process, which requires commitment and effort from the entire organisation as well as our suppliers and manufacturers. Since the introduction of our Code of Conduct in 2005 and the establishment of our purchasing office and CSR department in Shanghai in 2008, we have come closer to manufacturers and taken several significant steps forward in our efforts to influence, verify and improve working conditions in our supply chain.
Our CSR department is responsible for monitoring, assessing, reviewing, training and educating our suppliers and manufacturers in Asia. Assessments include CSR audits of our manufacturers throughout China. Our CSR department works closely with the purchasing department in Insjön to ensure that all our suppliers and manufacturers sign and comply with our Code of Conduct. Both departments are also responsible for supporting our manufacturers in their efforts to achieve continuous improvements in the working conditions of their workers. During 2010/11, new IT support was developed to more efficiently manage audit reports and other CSR data.
Challenges that factories in Asia might face include excessive overtime, poor working conditions, inadequate protective equipment, lack of unions and manipulated time sheets. Other issues, such as corruption and bribery can also complicate factory audits. Clas Ohlson works to prevent corruption and bribery by putting demands on our suppliers. The Clas Ohlson spirit and corporate values form the basis for professional ethical conduct in our daily business. We introduced an anti-corruption policy during 2010/11 and added it to our Code of Conduct.
New Clas Ohlson employees receive training in CSR issues in conjunction with their induction programme. A social responsibility video training course has also been developed for the company’s intranet. Our purchasing department receives additional CSR training, and Clas Ohlson purchasers participate in factory audits every year. Our auditors also underwent an environmental training programme during 2010/11 concerned with environmental damage and environmental management systems.
We cooperate with other companies and organisations to increase the opportunities we have to promote change and influence manufacturers. Through a strategic partnership with CSR Asia, we gain access to their expertise and network, and have the opportunity to take part in forums, seminars and training. We cooperate with Save the Children’s Centre for Children’s Rights and Corporate Responsibility (CCR-CSR) in China. CCR-CSR has formed a working group, which includes a number of large multinational companies that will work together to protect minors (under 16) who are identified as working in factories and to give support to young workers (over 16) in an effort to create a good work environment that meets the needs and requirements of young workers. During 2010/11, Clas Ohlson participated in seminars arranged by CSR Asia and the Swedish Trade Council. We also consulted ethics analysts and other representatives for ethical funds that monitor Clas Ohlson and took part in various CSR research projects.
Clas Ohlson’s Code of Conduct is the basis for our efforts to improve the working conditions and work environment in which our products are manufactured. All our suppliers and manufacturers must sign the Code of Conduct in order to become, or continue to be, part of our supply chain. The code includes demands concerning human rights and environmental impacts that we place on our own operations and those of our suppliers and manufacturers. The requirements of the Code are based on the UN Declaration on Human Rights and the Rights of the Child, the ILO (International Labour Organisation) core conventions, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) guidelines for multinational companies and the ten principles of the UN Global Compact. During 2010/11 we have continued our long-term efforts to develop our code of conduct based on our experiences and cooperation with our supply chain.
All new suppliers and manufacturers must pass a comprehensive audit before they are able to supply products to Clas Ohlson. The audit, conducted by either Clas Ohlson or an external auditor, includes an assessment of their manufacturing facilities, interviews with personnel and a review of their official documentation. Manufacturers in Asia may not be fully aware of the requirements and regulations they must follow, or how they should proceed to ensure compliance. Our auditors inform the manufacturers of the areas in which they must improve and present various tools they can use in the improvement process. We terminate our partnership with any manufacturers that are unwilling to improve deficiencies. In 2010/11, we produced training materials in the areas of health and safety, human resources and the environment to support manufacturers in their improvement work.
We conduct audits of our active manufacturers at least every two years. We conducted 426 audits during 2010/11, which included 406 conducted by our own auditors and 20 audits carried out by an independent auditors specialising in CSR and human rights. An increased proportion of returned visits were made in 2010/11 compared with the previous year with the purpose of monitoring the action plans that were previously agreed upon together with our manufacturers. An audit typically takes 1-2 days, depending on the size of the factory and the number of employees. If the factory does not comply with our code, an action plan is drawn up for the factory to carry out within a given time period. If a serious deficiency is identified, it must be rectified immediately before the manufacturer may commence or continue to supply Clas Ohlson.
The majority of the observed inadequacies during audits relate to the areas of health and safety (e.g. inadequate worker safety and evacuation procedures), and salary and working hours (e.g. overtime and social insurance). Most improvements made following an audit are concerned with health and safety, as improvements concerning wages and working hours generally take longer to implement.
We identified 20 cases of discrimination during 2010/11, related to age and/or gender in job advertisements. Clas Ohlson demanded that advertisements be changed and that the manufactures introduce a non-discrimination policy. 7 cases of restricted freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining were identified. This is a major problem in Asia that requires collaboration between manufacturers, purchasing companies, NGOs and government agencies. We discovered 6 cases of child labour in 2010/11. All the workers were Chinese and 15 years old (children must be at least 16 to work in China). When we discover instances of child labour we work with the child, their parents and the factory to try to find the best solution for the child. Clas Ohlson also demanded that 4 factories introduce a child labour policy as they did not have one, and that certain factories maintain records of ID documents following 27 cases of insufficient documentation. No cases of forced labour were discovered during 2010/11.
