Today, Nordthy A/S is a well-known brand in all Danish supermarkets. But it has been a long process where the company has had to change direction several times and find new business paths. A journey that now triggers DI Thy/Mors Initiative Award 2020.
It all started in 1966 when Børge Lukassen bought his first cake truck, delivering cakes and rusks to local grocery stores. It went well and sales increased throughout the 70s and 80s. By the early 90s, there were as many as 20 cake trucks on the road. Børge's two sons, Søren and Lars Lukassen, also became part of the business.
Initially, there were more than 100 cake wholesalers in Denmark that drove fixed routes to the stores. However, the retail industry changed dramatically and throughout the 90s, smaller stores became large supermarket chains that could supply the stores themselves. Cake wholesalers became redundant, and today there are virtually none left. Except for Nordthy A/S.
- We had to innovate if we were to survive. We still had some good deals with a couple of big supermarket chains, but we were too vulnerable. Eventually, we took the plunge and sold the last cake vans. Instead, we focused on building our own brand, which today is sold and distributed to large chains at home and abroad," says Lars Lukassen, who is now CEO of Nordthy A/S.
Close collaboration with customers and suppliers
The Nordthy logo was added to the products in 2013, and since then things have gone really fast. The number of employees has more than doubled and turnover has increased by 35 percent per year in the recent period. According to Lars Lukassen, this is due to a very good relationship with customers and suppliers.
- We have some fantastic customers and suppliers who have shown great confidence in us and our brand. Our great strength is that we develop products and innovate together with customers and suppliers, so we can put together exactly what the market needs. And that's why we've been given so much to do," says Lars Lukassen.
That's why they win
Nordthy A/S is now the winner of the DI Thy/Mors Initiative Award 2020, and DI Thy/Mors has placed special emphasis on the company's agility. Both historically, but also in recent years, where the company has succeeded in creating a robustness in the face of a constantly changing world.
- The rug has been pulled out from under the company several times over the years, yet they are stronger than ever. They have really created a solid platform. Currently, we can see that even though Nordthy has been affected by the corona lockdown in some areas, both on the supplier and customer side, they now have so many different levers to pull that they can navigate safely through the crisis, says Tage Odgaard Nielsen, Chairman of DI Thy/Mors.
Nordthy A/S has agreements with all supermarket chains and a number of other retail chains in Denmark and the Nordic region. The company has also established a branch in Rødekro in Southern Jutland, which has created access to the North German market. Both locations expanded with new warehouse and office facilities in 2019, and in Thy, another expansion is already underway due to strong growth.
Danish Industry
