– There is a huge market for men here – E24

– They probably have the most advanced machinery, and an insanely skilled and competent team. People come from other parts of the Nordic region to study here.

Petter Stordalen is in his usual, energetic mood when E24 meets him in what is his new acquisition.

Before Christmas, Stordalen became an investor in the company Scandinavian Beauty, which previously owned ten skin care clinics in Norway. Now there will be more.

First acquisition is already in the can; Scandinavia Beauty has bought Eger Skin Clinic.

Tracks big chains in skin care

The clinic has been located at Karl Johan in Oslo since 2006.

For the time being, they are only one clinic, but now there will be more locations, because Scandinavian Beauty has clear growth ambitions.

The market for skin care and beauty treatments today consists of many individual clinics. Stordalen believes this is about to change, and he now wants to take part in the development.

– There is nothing about this industry that will not be the subject of exactly the same consolidation that has been in other industries, he says, and points out that everything from hairdressers to hotels and dental clinics has been brought together in large chains.

Now he predicts that the skincare industry will also get a facelift.

– It happens because it forces itself. And we see that in the clinics we have acquired in Scandinavia Beauty. But you have to have your head, and then you have to have your heart. And the heart, that’s also those who work here. We are a little more on the side and look after the money, and that it is developed, says Stordalen.

The clinic’s website reveals that they offer a “wide range of skin care and cosmetic medical treatments”.

The broad spectrum includes, among other things, skin cleansing, pregnancy massage, hair removal or hair transplantation, and fat reduction or Restylane and fillers.

Stordalen and Solstad express that the acquisition of Eger Skin Clinic has been a long process. In the end, they had no doubts about where to put their money.

– When we saw Eger, it was clear to us that this brand was the Ferrari in the industry. This is the one that sets the industry standard, says Stordalen.

Not talking about “women’s health”

In recent Norwegian entrepreneurial history, there is a tradition of stumbling a bit when launching skin care clinics, perhaps especially by using references to sports cars.

Solstad says that the investors have had Pia Tjelta, Vanessa Rudjord and Synnøve Skarbø’s controversial launch of clinic venture Nomi fresh in their minds before they had to tell the press about the new venture.

The trio pulled out of Nomi after strong reactions to the press release sent out in connection with the launch. The reactions were strongest against the three using the word “women’s health”. They have since apologized for using the word:

– Women’s health and aesthetic medicine are two different things, and we apologize to those who have been upset by this mix-up, the trio said this autumn.

– We don’t use that word. We are in the business we are in. That it comes across as a bit unfortunate for others, I think that is just a mistake. But we don’t mean anything about that. We don’t believe that we deal with women’s health, says Solstad.

– I think you are done using that word. I think they think so too, and I’m happy about that, says the entrepreneur.

Not a beauty clinic

Several of the 24 employees at the clinic have backgrounds and training as nurses. They are concerned that they have professional expertise that goes beyond just cosmetic treatments.

At one point in the interview, the journalist steps in the salad and asks if it is correct to describe Eger as a beauty clinic.

– So what do you want to call yourselves?

– We call ourselves skin care clinic. It will be right, says managing director Julie Karoline Stensrud.

– To call it a beauty clinic is completely wrong, because it is a very relative term. You and I can see very differently what beauty is, adds Solstad.

– So what do you do?

– What is special about us is that people come in with extremely sensitive skin. Skin that you can’t touch at once. Many of them have started buying things online. They damage their skin and overtreat it, says Stensrud.

– So there is also a health perspective?

– Of course. We are passionate about being able to help people, she says.

Want more men

Stordalen believes that there are many customers to pick up among men, and believes that there is nothing strange if guys also use skin care.

The clinic is already noticing that this is about to change, says general manager Stensrud.

– If there was a man standing here before, it almost became like this: “Are you a craftsman?”. Now it’s completely normal. We have five or six men come by every day. We think that’s cool, they deserve to take care of themselves, says Stensrud.

Stordalen himself says he would not have reacted if his sons had used skin care. Nevertheless, the new owner must establish fresh customer relations with the clinic.

– Have you been here yourself before?

– I don’t have it, but I will become a customer. And I think there is a huge market for men here. It used to be that even getting a massage wasn’t something men did. But now it has arrived, and now men are starting to have facial treatments, he says.

Despite the fact that he is now a clinic owner, Stordalen is careful to talk about his own skin care routines.

– But I’ve had a lot of facial treatments. I’m also a bit vain. So for me the threshold for going to such a clinic is very low.