From James Dean to Humphrey Bogart and all the things between!

Not long after, his childhood friend Pål joined Vegard on his great adventure. Now, 30 years later, what started as a classic menswear store has grown into a business with several departments, an online shop and around 35 employees.

They believe the key is having the courage to take a chance.

And having someone to do it with.

From jeans to menswear

Let’s go back to the beginning. Because this really is a journey from James Dean to Bogart. From a specialist jeans store to classic menswear, inspired by a distinguished actor from a bygone era. Both were major stars and icons of their time.

The two best friends have since built an entire universe in Tønsberg, and have probably spent more days together than most married couples.

After several years as employees, Vegard and Pål bought into the business and in 2007, they took over the entire operation.

“That’s when we really started developing the company into what you see today,” says Pål.

And a lot has happened since. Bogart opened its first womenswear department in 2012, followed by another in 2014, and launched its online store in 2015. In recent years, the business has continued to grow through the acquisition of the store “Vidars”, the relocation of one of its womenswear departments and the launch of Arkivet.

Today, Bogart has around 35 employees and total gross sales of approximately NOK 100 million. All of its physical stores are located within a radius of around 300 metres in Tønsberg.

“We have guts, we’re willing to take chances – and it pays off.”

Becoming really good at something

Menswear remains an important part of Bogart’s identity, particularly on the menswear side. At the same time, the business has developed several concepts that complement each other.

For Pål and Vegard, it is about understanding what you are good at – and getting even better at it.

“In today’s market, I think it’s incredibly important to dare to become really good at something. Find a niche and really cultivate it. It’s okay to geek out a little on a particular product category or become an expert in something specific.”

One area they have focused particularly closely on is buying. It’s not just about reading trends but truly understanding what will sell and where to place your bets.

Running both womenswear and menswear has also taught them that the two markets operate on slightly different cycles.

“Menswear tends to build steadily through the autumn and towards Christmas. In womenswear, certain trends and garments can create sharp peaks in sales over a short period of time.”

“You have to understand what you’re going to sell in volume.”

And sometimes, you have to think completely differently.

Giving leftover stock a new life

The acquisition of Vidars also came with a substantial amount of stock that needed to be handled. This became the starting point for Arkivet, a curated outlet concept.

“The idea behind a curated outlet is that we want to make it look good, while still selling products at great prices. You may call it a tasteful outlet!”

The concept has also given Bogart a unique opportunity to keep its regular stores cleaner and more focused over time. Instead of letting leftover stock remain in the main stores, it can be moved to Arkivet.

This makes it possible to continuously refine the assortment, while giving customers access to good products at attractive prices.

“We can have two short sales in the stores, three to four weeks, and then move the rest to Arkivet. The products can keep selling there instead of us having to run those big end-of-season sales in the stores,” Pål explains.

Technology with people at the centre

For Bogart, the genuine customer experience remains at the heart of the business. At the same time, the company has been actively embracing digitalisation in recent years, and its online store is now its largest department.

Artificial intelligence is being used to simplify a number of processes, particularly within e-commerce.

The goal is not to replace people, but to free up time.

“We’d much rather spend our time on what we think matters most: being with our customers.”

Pål and Vegard believe new technology will become increasingly important, but that it needs to be used in the right way.

We have to be willing to welcome new technology and become good at using it. That can become an advantage for us.”

At the same time, they are clear that technology cannot replace their employees. Bogart invests heavily in young people and currently has three apprentices.

“We believe it’s part of our social responsibility to provide good apprenticeship opportunities locally. We give young people trust, but we’re not afraid to set expectations either. Of course, that also means guiding our employees in a way that gives them a real opportunity to meet those expectations. And I feel that’s something we’re doing really well.”

Independent, but never alone

Pål and Vegard have known each other for virtually their entire lives. They each have three children of roughly the same age and describe their lives as remarkably in sync.

They know each other so well that they often know what the other is about to say. It has been a strength throughout their many years as business partners.

“We’re always two people in this, and that’s an incredible gift,” says Pål, before adding:

“We spend a lot of time together and are quite simply best friends!”

At the same time, they have a wider network around them through Texcon, which is an important part of Bogart’s everyday business. Pål and Vegard particularly value being able to share experiences with other independent retailers within the network.

“We each sit on our own little island, but within this network, we can collaborate and make decisions based on each other’s experiences.”

For them, being able to pick up the phone and talk to someone else in the network when they need input is a real strength. They run their own business, but they are not on their own.

It is also how they view the future of independent retail. They believe there is still a place for stores built on knowledge, character and personal customer relationships.

The best customer experience is yet to come

For Bogart, the future is about continuing to develop the business without losing what makes it valuable. Their vision is to create emotions for their customers and everyone who comes into contact with the brand – whether that interaction takes place in a store, online or over the phone.

Saying hello when a customer walks into a store is simply the bare minimum.

“It’s not enough. We want to create a customer experience that is better than what our competitors offer.”

It is an ambition that has followed Bogart from its humble beginnings to the business it is today.

“Customer experiences are what you win on. And we don’t believe the best customer experience has been created yet. And to be completely honest: customer experiences never go out of style.”