The key to our success has always been our passion.

About us

VARNER consists of the fashion brands Cubus, Dressmann, Dressmann XL, Bik Bok, Carlings, Volt, Urban, WOW, Levi’s Store, Nike Store and Days Like This.

VARNER is one of the largest fashion retailers in Scandinavia, with nearly 11.000 employees and 1.500 stores across 8 countries. 

We are a family owned Norwegian company with a revenue of NOK 11 billion in 2018.

VARNER is a progressive workplace. We thrive on innovative business development with the customer in constant focus. We will strive to be at the forefront of the ever changing business opportunities of our industry.

 By combining the best of online and offline worlds, we are creating a truly seamless experience for the consumer through our innovative omnichannel retailing strategy. 

Our goal is to become the leading data and tech-driven fashion company in Scandinavia.
This opens up new challenging work areas in our organization.

Our values

  • Businessminded
  • Passion
  • Make it easy
  • Friendship
  • Happiness
  • Responsible

    Our company’s culture is exceedingly important – no matter where you work in Varner. We strive to ensure that everybody at Varner looks forward to going to work every single day, and make our customers and stores our first priority. Together we can achieve fantastic results!

 

Our work ethic

  • We set bold goals and always aim to improve the lives we touch.

  • Teamwork, openness and room for diversity are important factors in our work culture. Bringing together people with different backgrounds and views fuels imagination, makes our products more delightful and our brands and business strategies more powerful.

  • We are designing environmental programs and constantly nurturing partnerships in order to make our business more sustainable and to improve the environmental footprint of the fashion retailing industry as a whole.
    Read more about our social responsibility efforts.


Our location

  • Our main office can be found at Slependen, 15 minutes from the Oslo city centre, and is a spacious top modern facility with multiple recreational areas, inspiring interiors, a health-conscious restaurant and a separate café.  
    See a film about our office here.

OUR HISTORY

Frank Varner opened his first store on Thorvald Meyersgate in Grünerløkka, Oslo, in 1962. The store was named “Frank Varner” and became a huge success. Three years later, yet another store opened in Oslo and another in Trondheim. In 1967, the name Dressmann was launched in connection with a new store opening on Skippergata in Oslo. The rest is history. Dressmann stores subsequently opened at a record pace all over the country.

  • Acquisitions and development

    During the ensuing years Frank Varner sought further growth. At the beginning of the 1980s, the takeover of the stock exchange listed company Jonas Øglænd AS commenced. This was a conglomerate group whose business activities included a bicycle factory, a work-clothing manufacturer, an insurance agency, property development and Norway’s largest textile retail chain: the family concept Cubus. 
    In 1989, Varner acquired an owner’s share of more than 90 percent in Jonas Øglænd AS, which thereby became a subsidiary of Varner. The companies that did not naturally fit in with Varner’s activities were gradually sold off. 
    In 1985, the first Carlings store opened on Storgata. The goal was to be the largest Levi’s distributor in Oslo. The jeans concept became a success and while Carlings opened increasingly more stores in Norwegian cities throughout the 1980s, Dressmann was in the process of becoming one of the largest retailers in the country.
    Dressmann brought in substantial revenues through efficient operations, cost control and in particular, a high sales volume.

  • New chains and concepts

    In 1991, the company Bik Bok was purchased. Three years later, in 1994, the retail chain Vivikes (now Days Like This) was made a part of Varner. Varner is now represented in the low-price market for men, the volume market for the family, and with a jeans concept for boys, a fashion concept for girls and elegant clothing for women. 

    In 1995, Petter and Marius Varner take over the management of the company and the development of Varner continues in their hands. In 2001, Varner enters a new market through the acquisition of Urban – a lifestyle store with roots in the skateboard and snowboard scene.

  • Further expansion

    In 2006, the chains WOW and Volt were established. Volt focuses on boys and men between 19-35 years of age, who want clothing that represents both fashion and lifestyle, while the WOW concept offers girls 8-15 years of age everything they desire in the way of clothing and accessories.

  • Internationalisation

    Along with the continual establishment of new chains and stores, Varner has become increasingly international. In 2015, Varner is represented in 8 countries. The largest markets outside of Norway are Sweden and Finland.