Surfers.se - "We are on the water all the time, that is the basis of our business"

Art. no. 216385437 24 Apr 2025

The story of Surfers began in 1985 when the economist and surfing enthusiast Helmer Willhar from Jönköping found an old milk shop in Varberg where he opened Surfshopen. Markus came in as a summer worker and was actually going to open his own competing business. However, he was persuaded by Helmer to become a co-owner of his Surfshop instead. And in that vein it became Surfers Paradise. In 2001, Markus met Patrik, who had previously worked with windsurfing sails. They then started importing surfboards from South Africa and still today resell to other stores via a giant warehouse.

Surfer's history as an e-retailer actually also began in 1985 with their mail order catalog which continued until about 6 years ago when they completely switched to a webshop. The similarities are many, but today the flow of information is faster and the customers are more informed. They have been early with much such as e.g. Surfers TV, vlogs and they do everything themselves in-house. They write really good texts and spend a lot of time making films about their products, where they themselves talk about the properties of the product and give their own personal opinion about it. It creates confidence that they show that they use the product themselves and can do this.
For the curious, I recommend following Surfers on Insta!
Surfers Varberg Instagram

When I e-meet Patrik and Markus on a chilly November day, they have just returned from a surfing trip in Scania. There is no doubt that they are enthusiasts, and among their customers there are many who surf all year round. Not only Swedes who live or travel abroad, but also here at home in Sweden. In their well-stocked surfshop, they sell all kinds of surfboards, wetsuits, sun protection and accessories for water sports. Online sales are good this year as well, while the physical store is at full speed during the warm months. Today alone they have already sent over 40 packages.

The largest sales take place on Swedish soil, but also some in the rest of the Nordic countries. The webshop is entirely in Swedish, so Swedes abroad account for the majority outside the Nordics. "We are happy with our size where we are and focus on the Swedish market" The surfboards are sent with home delivery via DHL. Although the goods are packed shock-resistant, they are quite sensitive to shipping and can be pinched in a door, run over by a truck or dropped. It is much easier to solve this within the EU.

“Our main goal is to guide customers to the right product so they have real fun on the water” Many people visit the physical store in Varberg because it is unique, has a lot of products and solidly knowledgeable staff. The store has always had staff who are 100% dedicated to practicing the water sports they work with. They are saved surfers who spend their free time in the water. The store's opening hours are actually adapted to the water habits of the staff. They come into contact with many customers on the beaches, where they themselves spend their time. People come into the store to share their experiences and talk about their day on the water. So they have long been of enormous importance to their customers. Varberg used to be an obvious destination for surfers, but now it is more spread out and there are many places around the country. You follow the weather online, low pressure and wind directions.

The advantage of having a webshop is that you can reach customers from far away. Often the customers who come to the store have been able to read up on it beforehand and it has been possible to provide some guidance via the website. Working hours can be adjusted so they can browse in the morning before the store opens. "We want to be able to be on the water and not just stand in a store" Having a webshop is seen as necessary today, customers expect it. Surfers have a Pro subscription to Abicart and have developed a customized solution together with our design team.

When we have left the conversation, some of their interesting thought-provoking ideas linger, such as e.g. the future development of the online experience? I hope to continue the conversation with Markus and Patrik on site in their surfshop one day. Until then, I surf around their webshop and fish out awesome Christmas presents →
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