ARKK Copenhagen Secures Multi-Million Dollar Investment to Accelerate Plans for Global Expansion

A Series A round led by Friheden Invest and North-East Venture will stimulate ARKK Copenhagen’s mission of influencing the growing lifestyle footwear category worldwide, through their unique approach to sneaker design.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, June 20, 2018—ARKK Copenhagen, a Nordic sneaker brand announces a multi-million-dollar (USD) Series A investment deal with Copenhagen-based Friheden Invest—backers of By Malene Birger and Tiger of Sweden—and North-East Venture. The capital investments will specifically be used to help scale ARKK Copenhagen’s plans to disrupt new markets globally, including Canada, United States, Australia and South Korea in 2018.

Of the investment, Thomas Refdahl CEO says, "At Friheden and North-East Venture, we experienced an understanding of the scale and scope of our ambitions, which was exceptional. We hesitated to take investors out of fear we could be forced in the wrong direction, but here we received smart and engaging investment.”

Launched in 2014, ARKK Copenhagen has generated an average sales growth of 256% per annum showcasing the strength in the young company’s core design and business strategies. ARKK’s vast sneaker universe defined by rich Nordic design, innovation and timelessness is manifested in four annual collections for men and women with a current market presence in over 37 countries.

 

Niels Martinsen of Friheden Invest—who carries a legacy of success in apparel says— “ARKK’s tight concept and high degree of distinctiveness in the product range, from their pure performance-oriented sneaker rivals, yields an opportunistic market position worth securing."

 

Current distribution channels include online and retail with outstanding international demand.

Martin Lumbye, CEO of North-East Venture—an establishment of Winnie Liljeborg and Per Algot Enevoldsen of global jewelry phenomenon Pandora—remarks “ARKK Copenhagen today sells more than 90 percent of its sneakers abroad, so we estimate that the potential is large. It is an ambitious and talented team that has already shown results we believe in.”

Moreover, ARKK’s Nordic heritage is a unique selling point. “Nordic companies have international appeal for their approach to design, simplicity, clean lines, communication and user-friendliness towards customers" adds Lumbye.

 

"With Friheden Invest and North-East Venture we get the expertise into our board of directors that we’ve been looking for. This is an opportunity to take our vision further and showcase the potential of the designs that we know are missing in the market today." says ARKK Co-founder and Creative Director, Kasper Høj Rasmussen.

 

Read coverage of the announcement on Børsen (in Danish) here: "Velhavende familier skyder formue i sneakersfirma: "De vokser over 250 pct. på toplinjen""

 

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ARKK Copenhagen is a Nordic sneaker brand founded in 2014 by the two childhood friends Thomas Refdahl and Kasper Høj Rasmussen. Without finding sneakers that expressed their own personal style, the two entrepreneurs set themselves to create their own. Over the past three years, the minimalist sneaker brand has expanded presence to +30 countries worldwide. All collections are 100% designed in Copenhagen to fulfill the company's mission to create a unique sneaker identity that stands up to the players the global footwear market.