Stormberg, a Norwegian brand of outdoor apparel, predicts that 2009 will be a difficult year in the north, with higher manufacturing costs to swallow and generalized cuts in retail prices by competitors. More and more of its 700 accounts are paying their orders late because of liquidity problems, and some of these retailers are likely to go under this year. All is not bleak however: The brand reportedly had record sales in 2008 – up to 150 million Norwegian kronor (€16.8m-$21.8m) – and a strong profit of 22.3 million NOK (€2.5m-$3.2m). Orders for 2009 are higher than ever at 57 million NOK (€6.4m-$8.3m) in 2009.
