Busfrö in Gävle reaches nearly SEK 10 million in turnover after seven years

Seven years after opening, Busfrö in Gävle, Sweden, has annual turnover of almost SEK 10 million and eight permanent staff, including its owners. Annelie Jansson and Emma Lilja left jobs in IT to become franchisees. Their shop now shows how a shared concept and local entrepreneurship can come together in second-hand retail.

From IT jobs to running a franchise shop

When Annelie Jansson and Emma Lilja applied to become franchisees, both had well-paid office jobs and young children at home. Their application was approved in 2019. Their plans for a second-hand shop in Gävle then became a firm business commitment, bringing a different daily routine and financial circumstances.

In a feature published on 9 November, the owners describe the move as a major adjustment. Annelie Jansson sums up the initial change as half the pay and twice the work. Their decision was also based on having researched Busfrö’s concept and believing it would work in Gävle.

The shop is operated by Åter i Bruk AB, a Swedish limited company owned by Jansson and Lilja. Jansson is also its managing director. According to the feature, the company has been profitable in recent years. The reported turnover of almost SEK 10 million therefore reflects not just a business with growing sales, but one that has also reported positive earnings.

A shared concept, run locally

Busfrö in Gävle operates as a franchise, as do the chain’s other 14 shops across Sweden. This makes the Gävle shop part of a 15-shop network, while the business is run by its local operating company.

In return for a fee, Åter i Bruk AB can use the Busfrö brand and receives support with areas including marketing and window displays. At the outset, the owners also received help setting up the entire shop in line with the chain’s concept. The support therefore covers both the initial set-up and aspects of how the shop presents itself to customers day to day.

For those considering the Swedish franchise market, the Gävle shop offers a practical example of what a franchise concept can include beyond the name itself. Here, it includes help with shop design, marketing and merchandising. The local company’s performance must nevertheless be assessed separately: the turnover and profitability figures relate to Åter i Bruk AB, not the Busfrö chain as a whole.

Consignment sales shape the flow of stock

All items in the shop are sold on consignment. The person supplying an item receives 40 per cent of the sale proceeds once it sells. Payment is therefore tied to a completed sale, rather than the shop buying the item outright when it is brought in.

There are also clear limits on what people can bring in and in what quantities. According to Jansson, each person may bring in no more than one bag per department every two months. Items must be no more than five years old. These rules are a practical part of the shop’s operating model and govern the flow of second-hand stock.

The percentage paid to the person supplying an item should not be confused with the shop’s profit margin. It describes how the proceeds from a sale are split, whereas the company’s earnings also depend on operating costs. The feature states that the company has been profitable in recent years but gives no exact profit figure.

Eight permanent staff – and ambitions to grow

The eight permanent staff include the founders themselves. However, the business can have considerably more people working there. Jansson says the total sometimes approaches 28 when temporary cover staff, interns, apprentices, volunteers and people on work-training placements are included. It is therefore important to distinguish this wider group from the number of permanent employees.

Emma Lilja is optimistic about the future: she believes the second-hand trend will continue and envisages turnover of SEK 13 million and ten permanent staff. This is an ambition for the future, not an outcome already achieved or a formal forecast.

Practical takeaway: Anyone considering a second-hand retail franchise should examine both the chain’s support and the shop’s day-to-day finances. The Gävle example highlights consignment terms, rules for accepting stock, staffing and the owners’ own workload as issues to understand before making a decision.