Crafting a Sweet Future

LAKRIDS BY BÜLOW is an international premium confectionery brand known for its innovative combinations of liquorice and chocolate. The company was founded on the Danish Island of Bornholm in July 2007. LAKRIDS BY BÜLOW operates its retail stores in Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, the products are available through nearly 2,000 retailers in 35 countries.

Actively growing its customer base globally, the brand is on a ‘sweet’ journey, which we discussed when speaking to Fredrik R. Nilsson, CEO, CEO LAKRIDS BY BÜLOW.

Tell us a little about LAKRIDS BY BÜLOW’s journey in the Middle East. How has it been so far?
For over six years, Emirates has been a key partner, allowing us to treat their passengers to our Danish gourmet liquorice on board. When we opened our first store in Dubai Mall in 2018, liquorice was still a relatively new taste experience for many in the region. However, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Since then, we have expanded to two additional locations in Mall of the Emirates and Festival City, offering our unique products to both locals and tourists daily.

What are the major business milestones that the company has achieved over the past 12-24 months?
In the past 12-24 months, we’ve significantly increased our retail footprint by 50%, expanding from 30 to 45 LAKRIDS BY BÜLOW stores, including a new location in Dubai Festival City. We’ve also launched a new online store, enhancing the overall shopping experience. Additionally, we’ve introduced several new products, including seasonal Limited Editions and LAKRIDS LOVERS editions, which are produced in small batches for our taste panel to evaluate.

Share a little about the challenges and the top three learnings that have helped the brand grow in the region over the past 2-3 years.
One of the challenges we faced was navigating an environment with strong pressure on costs. To overcome this, we continued to invest in our brand while being clever with our expenses while staying true to our long-term ambitions, ensuring that every decision we made aligned with our vision for the future.

Highlight the recent innovations undertaken by your company in areas of digital transformation, human resources, and sustainability.
This year, we proudly achieved B Corp Certification, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Sustainability is at the core of our operations, from ingredient sourcing to employee treatment and community engagement. In 2022, we launched our organic SLOW CRAFTED collection in recycled glass jars, designed for reuse. In 2023, we reinforced our sustainability efforts by introducing refill bags to reduce packaging waste.

Fast forward to 2025: Growth outlook?

Looking ahead to 2025, we are confident in the continued growth of our brand. Our strong product range, loyal customer base, and significant investments in both physical and digital sales channels position us for continued profitable growth. With Germany becoming our largest market and new store openings in Dubai, London, and across Germany, we plan to sustain this momentum and continue offering unforgettable liquorice experiences worldwide.

Share a vision statement for the brand that you want to work towards in the coming months to turn into reality.

Our vision is simple: to make the world love liquorice, one liquorice at a time. We are dedicated to delivering unforgettable taste experiences rooted in Danish craftsmanship. As we look forward to the launch of our WINTER collection, we are eager to see how our unique Advent Calendar will be received, marking another step towards realizing our vision.