{{short description|German fashion company}} {{Multiple issues| {{primary sources|date=December 2011}} {{original research|date=December 2011}} }} {{lowercase title}} {{Infobox company | image = | name = s.Oliver | logo = | logo_size = 175 | type = [[Public company|Public]] | founded = 1969 | founder = Bernd Freier | location = [[Rottendorf]], [[Germany]] | area_served = Europe (except Eastern Europe (CIS)), India, China | industry = [[Fashion]] | products = [[Apparel]]<br/>[[fashion accessory|Accessories]] | num_employees = 7,000+ worldwide | homepage = [http://www.soliver.com soliver.com] }}
'''s.Oliver''', legally ''s.Oliver Bernd Freier GmbH & Co. KG'', is a German fashion company headquartered in [[Rottendorf]] that sells apparel, shoes, accessories, jewellery, fragrances and eyewear worldwide.
== History ==
The company was founded in 1969 by Bernd Freier (who was also its billionaire [[Chief Executive Officer|CEO]] until 2014 <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.soliver.com/en/#/en/company/about/facts |title=Real Emotions - s.Oliver Campaign Fall/Winter 2010/11 |access-date=2010-11-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104070941/http://www.soliver.com/en#/en/company/about/facts |archive-date=2010-11-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>) as a small [[boutique]] in [[Würzburg]] with only 25 square metres of floor space,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.soliver.com/de/company/about/history#/de/company/about/history |title=s.Oliver Brandsite - s.Oliver History |access-date=2010-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523140440/http://www.soliver.com/de/company/about/history#/de/company/about/history |archive-date=2010-05-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> named Sir Oliver after the hero of [[Charles Dickens]]'s novel, [[Oliver Twist (character)|Oliver Twist]]. To reflect the spirit of the times, the "Sir" was added to the name in homage to the [[London]] fashion scene and to add international flair to the boutique, as the British capital's most successful gentleman's outfitters also featured a "Sir" in their names.
In the 1970s, fashion suppliers were frequently unable to deliver the quantities ordered by retailers or to deliver them on time. In 1974, Bernd Freier decided to travel to [[India]] to negotiate directly with local textile manufacturers, thereby gaining independence from the wholesalers. Subsequently, he had his own successful range of "Madras Check shirts" manufactured, which found a ready market in [[Germany]], sold through, amongst others, [[E. Breuninger GmbH & Co]], Uli Knecht, [[Wöhrl]] and [[Wormland]]. In 1978, following a legal dispute with '[[4711]]', the [[eau de Cologne]] brand owned by Mäurer & Wirtz GmbH & Co. KG perfume manufacturers, who had registered the name "Sir" as a trademark, "Sir Oliver" was changed to the current brand name, ''s.Oliver'', and registered under that name in 1979 with the [[German Patent and Trademark Office]] (DPMA) in [[Munich]].
In 1987, s.Oliver bought out denim fashion manufacturer Chicago and re-launched the brand under the name Knockout.
In 1993, Chaloc GmbH was founded, becoming the well-known ''comma'' brand in 2002. ''comma'' now operates autonomously and completely independent from s.Oliver. In 1998, the first retail store outside Germany was opened in Austria. Shops in Switzerland, the [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]] and [[Luxembourg]] soon followed. Over the next few years, s.Oliver carried on expanding in countries such as the [[Czech Republic]] and [[Poland]]. s.Oliver developed in this way into one of Germany's—and [[Europe]]'s—leading fashion companies within a few decades, offering a range of fashion and lifestyle products for all ages.
In 2001, s.Oliver took over the German fashion brand ''comma''.<ref>[http://www.comma-store.de/History/COMPANY_HISTORY,default,pg.html Comma History (German)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224025222/http://www.comma-store.de/History/COMPANY_HISTORY,default,pg.html |date=2010-12-24 }}</ref> 2008 saw the opening and inauguration of the new s.Oliver headquarters in Rottendorf, including "s.Oliver Mini Club", the company's own [[day care]].
The company currently owns a total of 173 retail stores, as well as running 400 stores in cooperation with partner companies; its products are also sold in 1,991 shops and feature on 2,507 sales floors. Today, s.Oliver is to be found in more than 30 countries, for example in [[Austria]], [[Switzerland]], [[Slovenia]], [[Belgium]], [[Poland]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Serbia]], [[Croatia]], [[France]], [[Italy]], [[Czech Republic]] and [[India]]. The company has managed to more than quadruple its turnover since 1995, passing a billion euros in 2007. In 2009, the s.Oliver Group generated a brand turnover total of 1.16 billion euros. A once tiny retail store has grown into one of Europe's 20 largest fashion companies. The new head office in Rottendorf was completed in September 2008. s.Oliver celebrated its 40th company anniversary in 2009.
Bernd Freier left the management of the company in November 2019. Since 4 November 2019 [[Claus-Dietrich Lahrs]] is the current CEO of s.Oliver.
==Corporate affairs== ===Head office=== [[File:S. Oliver Headquarter Rottendorf.jpg|thumb|s.Oliver headquarters in Rottendorf]] [[File:S.Oliver_Würzburg_Fassade_diagonal_NEU.jpg|thumb|s.Oliver store in [[Würzburg]]]] The various departments, from [[design]] to [[marketing]], from [[human resources]] to [[logistics]] and [[distribution (business)|distribution]], are all located at the company headquarters in Rottendorf, Germany, near the university town of Würzburg. This is where the products, which go on to be manufactured in production facilities in [[Europe]], the [[Middle East]] and [[Asia]], are developed by different design teams. On an international level there are s.Oliver purchasing organisations in [[Hong Kong]] (China), [[Hangzhou]] (China), [[Chennai]] (India), [[Jakarta]] (Indonesia), [[Dhaka]] (Bangladesh) and [[Istanbul]] (Turkey). All logistics are centrally managed in Rottendorf. Logistics and warehouse space occupies 70,900 square metres. Up to 400,000 items of clothing are dispatched from here every day to destinations all around the world. More than 2,000 s.Oliver Bernd Freier GmbH & Co. KG staff are employed at the Rottendorf headquarters.
===Products=== There are currently three [[lifestyle (sociology)|lifestyle]] segments under the s.Oliver brand, all targeting different buyer types. s.Oliver Casual is the company's largest segment, it focuses on ladies and gents leisure fashion. Trendy and fashionable, QS by s.Oliver is aimed at teenagers and young adults, whereas s.Oliver Selection addresses a more sophisticated audience with a generally understated style. Besides these three main elements, s.Oliver also offers additional product lines like 's.Oliver Bodywear' ([[lingerie]], [[nightwear]], [[beachwear]] and [[homewear]] for ladies and gentlemen), 's.Oliver Junior' (clothing for newborns, toddlers and children), 'Triangle by s.Oliver' (new segment for sizes from 36 to 54) as well as 's.Oliver Accessories' (bags, belts and leather goods). Through a range of licensed partners, the company also sells 12 licensed lines, including 's.Oliver Shoes', 's.Oliver Eyewear', 's.Oliver Time', 's.Oliver Jewel', 's.Oliver Home', 's.Oliver Fragrances', 's.Oliver Umbrellas', 's.Oliver Garden' and 's.Oliver Baby'.
===Corporate citizenship=== s.Oliver is involved in positive [[corporate citizenship]] - for example, raising funds for stroke victims, or supporting victims of the terrible floods in South India in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/DE/Archiv16/Pressemitteilungen/BPA/2005/12/__Anlagen/jahresbilanz-der-partnerschaftsinitiative930294,property=publicationFile.pdf |title=Bundeskanzleramt - Ein Jahr nach dem Tsunami: Jahresbilanz der Partnerschaftsinitiative Fluthilfe |access-date=2010-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926232141/http://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/DE/Archiv16/Pressemitteilungen/BPA/2005/12/__Anlagen/jahresbilanz-der-partnerschaftsinitiative930294,property=publicationFile.pdf |archive-date=2011-09-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> For several years now, one important element of the fashion house's company culture has been its commitment to the [[Special Olympics]] Germany. Ever since the event's inauguration back in 1998, s.Oliver has supported athletes, volunteers, and the team that organises the national games.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}
The company was supplying the specially designed official volunteers' outfits for the 2010 national games in [[Bremen]] (Germany),{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} it also supplied the outfits for the whole of the German team attending the World Games.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} When the earthquake hit [[Haiti]] on 12 January 2010, s.Oliver donated from every item sold in the s.Oliver online shop for a week to the victims.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} The full amount of the donations collected went directly to the victims, without any deductions.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} s. Oliver is also a sponsor of Würzburg's annual [[Africa Festival]], supporting the fight against [[Aids]] in southern Africa.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} Donations have also been made to the cancer charity "Hilfe im Kampf gegen Krebs e.V." and the "Togo project" of the German [[leprosy]] and [[tuberculosis]] aid organisation "Deutsche Lepra- und Tuberkulosehilfe" (DAHW). s.Oliver also supported the Germany-based humanitarian aid organisation "Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe"'s efforts for the victims of the [[cyclone]] that hit Bangladesh in 2008.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}
===Sponsorship and testimonials=== In the 1990s, the s.Oliver logo featured on the shirts of tennis player [[Ivan Lendl]] and Würzburg-born basketball star [[Dirk Nowitzki]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} As main sponsor and team outfitters of the German Football Club [[Borussia Dortmund]] between 1997 and 2000,{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} the company established a presence outside the fashion world, thereby increasing the level of brand awareness both in Germany and elsewhere.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}
s.Oliver was also active in motorsport and sponsored Formula One driver [[Ralf Schumacher]] during his two seasons at Jordan Grand Prix (1997-1998). The following year, s.Oliver's Knock Out brand became German Formula 3 driver [[Timo Scheider]]'s main sponsor. His Swiss racing team Bemani Dallara-Opel was Knock Out blue all over; and Timo Scheider even dyed his hair blue.<ref>[http://www.horizont.net/aktuell/marketing/pages/protected/S.-Oliver-Marke-Knock-Out-sponsert-Formel-3-Fahrer_14936.html Horitont.net - Formula 3 driver sponsored by s.Oliver]</ref>
In 2003, German Pop singer [[Dieter Bohlen]], together with his then-girlfriend Estefania, advertised the 's.Oliver Selection men', because '[...] s.Oliver is a really good brand, they've got cool clothes.<ref>[http://www.stern.de/lifestyle/mode/vertrag-bohlens-neue-kleider-509016.html Stern: Bohlens neue Kleider]</ref> In 2006, s.Oliver launched a joint fashion collection with pop singer [[Anastacia]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}
2009 saw star violinist David Garrett as the German fashion labels' brand ambassador.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} In sports sponsorship, s.Oliver has been the main sponsor and outfitter of Polish football club [[Lech Poznan]] since March 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lechpoznan.pl/en/art,8095,s.oliver_official_general_sponsor_of_kks_lech_pozna_.htm |title=Lech Poznan Official Website - s.Oliver official General Sponsor of KKS Lech Poznań |access-date=2010-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725173758/http://www.lechpoznan.pl/en/art,8095,s.oliver_official_general_sponsor_of_kks_lech_pozna_.htm |archive-date=2011-07-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Since then, the distinctive s.Oliver lettering has been appearing on the stadium on perimeter boards, trainer and players' benches and both goals, the team bus, all the club's relevant printed matter and trainers', assistants' and youth outfits. In 2010, after a run of 17 unsuccessful years, Lech Poznan finally won the national championships again and they can compete in the 2010/2011 season [[UEFA Champions League]] 2010/11 qualifiers.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} [[s.Oliver Würzburg]] (basketball, 2010–),<ref>[http://www.mainpost.de/sport/s-Oliver-Baskets-s-Oliver-steigt-bei-den-Wuerzburg-Baskets-ein;art20799,5672497 Mainpost – s. Oliver steigt bei den Würzburg Baskets ein]</ref> [[FC Bayern München]] (soccer, 2011–2014),<ref>[http://www.soliver.com/pdf/en/media/download/id/28826/file/110705_s.Oliver%20Fashionpartner%20FC%20Bayern%20M%C3%BCnchen.pdf s.Oliver Website – s.Oliver ist offizieller Fashionpartner des FC Bayern München]{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Wladimir Klitschko]] (Boxing, 2014-) <ref>[http://www.klitschko.com/de/startseite/news/article//soliver-is/ Klitschko - die offizielle Website]</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== {{commons category-inline}} * [http://www.soliver.com Official website]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:German brands]] [[Category:Clothing companies of Germany]] [[Category:Shoe companies of Germany]] [[Category:Companies based in Bavaria]] [[Category:1969 establishments in West Germany]] [[Category:Clothing retailers of Germany]]