In total, Morgenlevering sold over 100,000 products over the course of these events – a 3-400 percent increase in demand.
The partly owned Schibsted company, Morgenlevering, was started in 2016. The couriers who deliver Morgenlevering also deliver newspapers, magazines and packages from Helthjem. Morgenlevering is, as such, a part of the ever-evolving distribution network we have had in Schibsted for more than 160 years. Yet, nothing could quite prepare anyone for the recent celebration of love.
“It’s been absolutely crazy”, says CEO of Morgenlevering, Håkon Liland
Had to close the website
It turned out that gifts such as flowers, breakfast packages and juice delivered to people’s doors were immensely popular on Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Already on Friday, Morgenlevering had to stop – both in Trondheim and in around Oslo – respectively five and two hours ahead of normal closing time.
There was simply nothing else to do, as the goods were sold out, the bakers ran out of products and the overnight delivery capacity hit the ceiling.
“We have had our ups and downs at Morgenlevering in recent years, yet we stand firm and continue to grow. Anyone can do well when things go according to plan, but it’s these kinds of unexpected situations that truly display the character of your co-workers,” Håkon Liland begins.
“Now we had to set up extra staff throughout the country and large parts of the head office were summoned to the warehouse to help out. A team effort like this is nothing short of extraordinary! To say that I’m proud and grateful … well, that’s an understatement,” he says.
SUCCESS: Terminal workers Petar Gina (left) and Abdul Rahman Durrani packed several thousand flowers to customers all over the country from Morgenleverings terminal in Nydalen.
One of those who rolled up their sleeves at the terminal in Nydalen was marketing coordinator Camilla Tangen Lien. Here’s her comment about the recent circus:
“Well, a «crisis» has never been more enjoyable! I think it’s simply part of the game to have a flexible understanding of your role and to stand up for each other – just like I see others doing in Morgenlevering. A good team culture is after all a prerequisite to us experiencing even more such victories.”
Other good signals
Alongside the enormous demand experienced in Trondheim and around Oslo, it has been extra exciting to follow the growth in Bergen and Stavanger where volume is increasing steadily.
“We can conclude that we’ve reached our sales targets for this area,” says e-commerce manager, Alexander Hagen. In general we now see a steady growth, and especially our “Love pack” with chocolate, sweet pastries and flowers did really well.”
CONTINUED GROWTH: in 2018 Morgenlevering had a turnover of NOK 87 million NOK, in 2021 this grew to NOK 341 million and now new records have been set.
The future of Morgenlevering
Morgenlevering has grown since its inception eight years ago, and is now trying to find its new form with more focus on, among other things, birthdays.
Still, their turnover makes out several hundred million NOK annually.
“We sense competition from competitors such as Oda, Foodora and Wolt,” says general manager, Håkon Liland. “Nevertheless, we now know for sure that we have a product in high demand that stands out from the rest, especially in the run-up to anniversaries. This is an important takeout for us, which we will learn from and keep building on. We have already set several new records so far this year, and there may be many more,” he concludes hopefully.
