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

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

until 2014 ) as a small

boutique A () is a retail shop that deals in high end fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in anc ...

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

with only 25 square metres of floor space, named Sir Oliver after the hero of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's novel,

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

. To reflect the spirit of the times, the "Sir" was added to the name in homage to the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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 India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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 Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, 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 Eau de Cologne (; German: ''Kölnisch Wasser'' ; meaning "Water from Cologne") or simply cologne is a perfume originating in Cologne, Germany. Originally mixed by Johann Maria Farina (Giovanni Maria Farina) in 1709, it has since come to be a gene ...

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 The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (; abbreviation: DPMA) is the German national patent office, with headquarters in Munich, and offices in Berlin and Jena. In 2006 it employed 2556 people, of which about 700 were patent examiners. Function ...

(DPMA) in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. 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 , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

soon followed. Over the next few years, s.Oliver carried on expanding in countries such as the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. s.Oliver developed in this way into one of Germany's—and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

'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''. 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 Child care, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from three months to 18 years old. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), childcare typica ...

. 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 Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

. 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

The various departments, from

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

, from

human resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ' ...

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

, 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

, the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, are developed by different design teams. On an international level there are s.Oliver purchasing organisations in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

(China),

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

(China),

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

(India),

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

(Indonesia),

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

(Bangladesh) and

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

(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 Lifestyle is the interests, opinions, behaviours, and behavioural orientations of an individual, group, or culture. The term "style of life" () was introduced by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in his 1929 book, ''The Case of Miss R.'', w ...

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 Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

nightwear Nightwear – also called sleepwear, or nightclothes – is clothing designed to be worn while sleeping. The style of nightwear worn may vary with the seasons, with warmer styles being worn in colder conditions and vice versa. Some styles ...

beachwear A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types and styles may be worn b ...

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 Corporate social responsibility (CSR) or corporate social impact is a form of international private business self-regulation which aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature by engaging in, with, or s ...

- for example, raising funds for stroke victims, or supporting victims of the terrible floods in South India in 2005. For several years now, one important element of the fashion house's company culture has been its commitment to the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

Germany. Ever since the event's inauguration back in 1998, s.Oliver has supported athletes, volunteers, and the team that organises the national games. The company was supplying the specially designed official volunteers' outfits for the 2010 national games in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

(Germany), it also supplied the outfits for the whole of the German team attending the World Games. When the earthquake hit

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

on 12 January 2010, s.Oliver donated from every item sold in the s.Oliver online shop for a week to the victims. The full amount of the donations collected went directly to the victims, without any deductions. s. Oliver is also a sponsor of Würzburg's annual Africa Festival, supporting the fight against

Aids The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

in southern Africa. Donations have also been made to the cancer charity "Hilfe im Kampf gegen Krebs e.V." and the "Togo project" of the German

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

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 In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

that hit Bangladesh in 2008.

Sponsorship and testimonials

In the 1990s, the s.Oliver logo featured on the shirts of tennis player

Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl (; born March 7, 1960) is a Czech-American former professional tennis player and coach. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, he was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis ...

and Würzburg-born basketball star

Dirk Nowitzki Dirk Werner Nowitzki (; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the great ...

. As main sponsor and team outfitters of the German Football Club

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

between 1997 and 2000, the company established a presence outside the fashion world, thereby increasing the level of brand awareness both in Germany and elsewhere. s.Oliver was also active in motorsport and sponsored Formula One driver

Ralf Schumacher Ralf Schumacher (born 30 June 1975) is a German former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Schumacher won six Formula One Grands Prix across 11 seasons. Born and raised in North Rhine-Westp ...

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 Timo Scheider (born 10 November 1978 in Lahnstein) is a German racing driver who competes in the FIA World Rallycross Championship for Münnich Motorsport. He won the DTM title in 2008 and 2009. Career Karting Like most other drivers, 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. In 2003, German Pop singer

Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen on 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of the pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous G ...

, 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. In 2006, s.Oliver launched a joint fashion collection with pop singer

Anastacia Anastacia Lyn Newkirk ( ; born September 17, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter. Her first two studio albums, '' Not That Kind'' (2000) and '' Freak of Nature'' (2001), achieved chart success with the singles " I'm Outta Love", " Not That Ki ...

. 2009 saw star violinist David Garrett as the German fashion labels' brand ambassador. In sports sponsorship, s.Oliver has been the main sponsor and outfitter of Polish football club Lech Poznan since March 2010. 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 The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

2010/11 qualifiers. s.Oliver Würzburg (basketball, 2010–),

FC Bayern München Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...

(soccer, 2011–2014),

Wladimir Klitschko Wladimir Klitschko; an equivalent English spelling is Vladimir Klichko . His full name in , . (born 25 March 1976) is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017. He held multiple heavyweight world championships betwe ...

(Boxing, 2014-) Klitschko - die offizielle Website
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References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control German brands Clothing companies of Germany Shoe companies of Germany Companies based in Bavaria 1969 establishments in West Germany Clothing retailers of Germany