Payment Solutions

Howden Financial Advisory has, with their strong insights and competencies in the financial sector, provided impartial holistic advice, which has resulted in significantly increased transparency and understanding of pricing, solutions, and relevant actors. They have managed to negotiate satisfactory individual agreements on our behalf, allowing us to achieve better global solutions - as well as significantly improved pricing. The improvements in solutions and prices are significantly better than I initially expected. - Kenneth Davids, Financial Manager and co-owner.

Rains is a modern international lifestyle brand based on a reinterpretation of the classic rubber raincoat. In the latest financial year, Rains had a gross profit of 46 million DKK and a pre-tax profit of 27 million DKK.

Howden Financial Advisory has acted as a trusted independent financial advisor, where they have created great value in the analysis phase as well as in negotiations with suppliers, thanks to their expertise and insight within the various financial areas. It has also been refreshing to be able to ask other technical questions and get quick answers, without it being part of the process and task. It has been a pleasant and value-creating process, where I am very satisfied with the result, and therefore recommend other companies to use Howden Financial Advisory. - Simon Jarl Jacobsen, CFO.

Aarstiderne is a Danish company that sells meal boxes. Aarstiderne aims to recreate the close connection between farming and the joy of organic meals, full of good ingredients, flavors, and presence. Aarstiderne recently had a turnover of over 660 million DKK and employed nearly 300 people.

Throughout the process, Howden Financial Advisory has, on their own, been responsible for dialogue and negotiation of our terms. Howden Financial Advisory has kept us updated and has acted on behalf of Søstrene Grenes' interests, and the feeling in the stomach throughout the process has been really good. The project and the process have been extremely positive - and it has been very satisfying that I have been able to see the project and the results unfold from the sidelines with minimal effort on my part. - Martin Kofoed Lundgaard, CFO of Søstrene Grene

Søstrene Grene is a recognized family-owned business with origins in Aarhus since 1973, with a webshop and stores located throughout Scandinavia and Europe. In the latest financial year, Søstrene Grene had a turnover of 1.7 billion DKK and a pre-tax profit of 209 million DKK.

Howden Financial Advisory's insights into the market and expertise in payment types have contributed to us achieving significantly better solutions and prices. Furthermore, we have gained increased transparency with a complete overview of costs and options. Today, we have transparency in all our solutions and prices, making it easier for us to make decisions in the future regarding payment types on an optimal and informed basis.

Too Good To Go fights food waste, where they have saved over 164 million meals. Too Good To Go has over 1050 employees "waste warriors" and is present in 16 countries with over 170,000 partners and 61 million users who have downloaded the app. "Too Good To Go dreams of a world without food waste."

The collaboration with Howden Financial Advisory has resulted in us gaining insights that we could not have achieved on our own, the right payment setup, and a significant cost reduction on our payment solutions. - Jesper Teddy Christiansen, CFO

Brødrene A&O Johansen is a Danish-owned company, founded in 1914 and listed on the stock exchange in 1963, with headquarters in Albertslund and 47 branches in Denmark. AO is one of the leading wholesalers in the construction industry with over 100 years of experience, 58 stores spread across the country - plus a handful in Sweden - approximately 700 employees, around 60,000 product variants in their central warehouse, and five primary business areas: HVAC, water and sewage, electrical, tools, and the "do-it-yourself" market.

In connection with our consideration of using a new payment provider, Howden Financial Advisory has advised us on solutions and significantly optimized pricing. Additionally, Howden Financial Advisory has also advised us on consumer financing - afterpay, where pricing was also significantly improved with their advice. In connection with the project, we have achieved significant savings, increased transparency, and better solutions, which is why we are very satisfied with Howden Financial Advisory's work.

Zizzi, formerly known as Ball Group, is a company that focuses on fashion for the confident and modern woman in the plus-size segment. In 2020, Zizzi had a turnover of approximately 657 million DKK and has 475 employees. Zizzi has webshops in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Austria, France, and Belgium. Zizzi has around 90 physical stores in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands.

We chose to make use of Howden Financial Advisory's expertise, as we suspected incorrect fees were being charged by a payment provider. With Howden Financial Advisory's assistance, we identified and made visible to our provider that there had been significant overcharging over a long period, which was corrected and subsequently credited. The process has been a positive experience, well managed by Howden Financial Advisory, and resulted in a significant saving. With an absolute minimum of hours spent on our side, we are quite satisfied with the project.

25syv is a Danish gaming company with many years of experience in online sports betting, games, casino, and horse racing. The 25syv family consists of Bet25, Rød25, Derby25, and CasinoGo.

We initially met with Howden Financial Advisory to see how they could assist us with our payment processes and agreements with different providers. After entering into an agreement, their work has been very beneficial in optimizing our terms and solutions. They have focused on finding the best overall solution, not just reducing costs, although we have also been able to lower our expenses and improve transparency in our payments. Their trustworthy advice and good cooperation and communication are why we would recommend other large businesses to utilize Howden Financial Advisory's expertise.

DFDS is a prominent international transportation and logistics company with a yearly revenue of USD 3.8 billion in 2022. With 17 ferry routes, 70 logistics sites, and a workforce of 11,500 employees, DFDS is a major player in the field. The company is recognized for its extensive network in Northern Europe and its dedication to environmentally friendly practices.

With Howden Financial Advisory, we have found a partner who, through diligent work, conducted an educational review of all the different cost drivers for our checkout. This gave us the transparency and knowledge we were looking for. Additionally, we were able to reduce our costs without compromising our service levels for our customers. We will continue to work with Howden Financial Advisory because we are very satisfied with both the collaboration and, most importantly, the results of the price negotiations with our payment providers. Howden Financial Advisory has helped STRONGER achieve increased profitability and a deeper understanding, as well as improved scalability, which is more valuable than just the cost reduction itself. We have recommended Howden Financial Advisory to other e-commerce colleagues and will continue to do so.

Stronger is an innovative Swedish fashion company that designs both stylish and functional activewear and lifestyle products for women. In 2022, Stronger had a turnover of 331 million SEK.

Howden Financial Advisory has provided advice to DK Company on evaluating and improving our payment solutions, both for physical and international online transactions. Howden Financial Advisory has conducted themselves in a professional manner and managed the process effectively, leading to substantial cost savings.

DK Company is one of Europe's leading suppliers of fashion and lifestyle brands. The company has a wide range of products, including 25 brands, and is present in 35 countries through online stores and over 400 physical stores. In 2022, DK Company had a turnover of DKK 4.6 billion.

When we decided to consolidate our card solution in the Nordic countries, it was a natural choice to seek assistance from Howden. Howden added significant expertise regarding the various suppliers, the market, and what prices a multi-billion retail company should achieve. We found that the processes were managed efficiently and resulted in a very competitive deal.

Elgiganten is the largest electronics retailer in the Nordic region with more than 400 stores in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. The group has a turnover of NOK 50 billion.

Because of our positive experiences with Howden Financial Advisory, it was only natural for us to turn to their consultancy again when our needs evolved and became more complex. Howden Financial Advisory introduced innovative solutions that we had not considered on our own. They were able to think creatively and worked diligently to find the perfect solution for us. Their guidance has helped us achieve simpler solutions and significant savings without sacrificing the customer experience.

With an annual turnover in the more than 90 Danish restaurants of over DKK 3 billion, McDonald's Denmark is the undisputed largest restaurant chain.

Howden Financial Advisory's expertise in the market and payment solutions has led to significantly improved solutions and prices, as well as increased transparency and clarity. This transparency has allowed us to have a comprehensive understanding of our costs and opportunities, enabling us to make informed and optimal decisions.

Soundboks produces and sells high-quality wireless speakers. The company focuses on exceptional sound quality and durability, making it an international company that has sold over 100,000 Soundboks speakers in more than 40 countries.

We have found Howden Financial Advisory to be a reliable and competent independent advisor when reviewing some of our significant payment contracts. Howden Financial Advisory has carefully examined our payment structure and provided suggestions on new payment methods that could potentially be added to improve conversion rates and decrease reliance on a few suppliers. This process has been informative and enlightening, leading to a better understanding of the costs associated with different payment methods. Additionally, the insights and benchmarks provided by Howden Financial Advisory have led to successful negotiations. We plan to continue utilizing their expertise due to the valuable results achieved through this process.

Internetstores is the world's leading digital specialist retailer for bicycles and generates an annual revenue of over 370 million euros. The company employs over 900 people globally, operates 40+ digital online retailers in Europe, and ships around 40,000 parcels per day at its peak. Additionally, Internetstores is present in 15 countries and has 6 multinational company locations.

Howden Financial Advisory has helped us with reviewing and analyzing our merchant agreements and negotiating on our behalf. This has led to cost savings that we would not have achieved on our own. As a result, we are happy with their advice and the outcomes.

PWT Group owns and operates two menswear chain stores, Tøjeksperten and Wagner, which together consist of 146 clothing stores in Scandinavia and employ over 375 people. The stores sell a variety of brands, including PWT Group's own strong brands such as Lindbergh, Bison, JUNK de LUXE, and Morgan. In 2019, PWT Group had a revenue of DKK 873 million and an EBITDA of DKK 159 million.

We have been very satisfied with the process, and Howden Financial Advisory has been very helpful in providing the best solutions in record time. They have helped us improve our payment solution and also presented us with new ways to optimize our existing solutions. We would like to recommend Howden Financial Advisory's work to others.

European Sperm Bank helps people all over the world achieve the dream of starting a family using donor sperm. In 2023, European Sperm Bank had a gross profit of 150 million DKK and has assisted clients in more than 100 countries.

The engagement with Howden has been both insightful and beneficial for the business, not least because we achieved the desired results without changing suppliers and with limited resource consumption on our part. This would not have been possible without Howden's experience and dedicated team.

Hobbii is a leading retail company in the field of handicrafts, offering quality yarn and accessories for knitting and crocheting. In 2021/22, Hobbii had a turnover of 835 million DKK.

Howden proved to be a very professional advisor and negotiating partner, who examined the market and recommended the next steps. Dialogues were initiated with several insurers, and with Howden's knowledge of the market, we were able to negotiate new contracts that resulted in significant savings for Sund & Bælt. The collaboration between Howden and Sund & Bælt has been very good, and we felt informed throughout the process as Howden prepared financial overviews so that we could see the results of ongoing negotiations.

Sund og Bælt BroBizz, offers subscription customers with bizz or license plate payment to pay with a credit card. In 2022, 13.2 million vehicles crossed the Great Belt Bridge, and Sund & Bælt achieved a turnover of 3.1 billion DKK.

We have been extremely satisfied with the process, including Howden's impartial work - as well as the outcome of the project. Howden has handled the project efficiently and professionally. - Keld Larsen, CFO.

SILVAN is one of Denmark's largest retailers of do-it-yourself building materials for private individuals. SILVAN has 42 stores located throughout Denmark. SILVAN is currently owned by the German investment fund Aurelius. In the latest financial year, SILVAN had a turnover of 1.6 billion DKK with an EBITDA of 13 million DKK.

Howden's advice helped us establish an overview of our payment platforms. Furthermore, Howden assisted us in analyzing and evaluating our acquiring agreements, which turned out to be possible to optimize. Finally, Howden negotiated new and competitive terms on our acquiring agreements, resulting in significant savings. In terms of process and results, it has been a very positive experience, which is why we highly recommend similar companies to utilize Howden's expertise. - CFO Anders Thygesen.

BabySam was established in 1973 and today, due to their innovative approach and qualified advice, is Denmark's largest retailer of baby equipment. BabySam had a turnover of approximately 577 million DKK in 2020 and has 242 employees. BabySam has a webshop in Denmark, as well as around 30 physical stores in Denmark.

Howden's competencies and insights have contributed to us having peace of mind throughout the entire process of the shutdown and necessary migration to the new payment platform. At the same time, it has allowed us to focus on our daily work, as we have only been involved in the project sporadically. We are extremely satisfied with Howden's efforts, which we can only recommend others in similar situations to take advantage of - Jakob Stenderup-Larsen, CFO Helsam Group A/S

Helsam's main activity consists of distributing and trading goods for the health food industry. Helsam consists of 43 stores in Denmark, as well as an online shop. In the financial year 20/21, Helsam had a turnover of 429 million DKK.

The result of the collaboration was very satisfying, where I would like to highlight a minimal effort from our side as well as a noticeable cost savings as valuable success factors. Howden contributes with a noticeable value in the time saved during these negotiations as well as in the savings they can achieve with their expertise. I highly recommend using Howden and their skills, should a company have similar challenges. - Jørgen Vind Hansen, CFO Wellvita ApS

Wellvita's main activity consists of producing and selling dietary supplements that contribute to increased quality of life. Wellvita has sales in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In the financial year 20/21, Wellvita had a gross profit of 23.8 million DKK.

Howden Financial Procurement has assisted with an optimized holistic solution, where we have achieved significantly better transparency and terms than the initial starting point. We have used few resources during the process, and we are satisfied with what we have achieved, which is why we consider Howden Financial Procurement to be highly recommendable.

SACKit is a Danish design company that creates lifestyle products of high quality. Functionality and design are paramount, and we do not compromise on quality. Sustainability is important to SACKit, which is why there is a constant focus on reducing negative impacts while also offering long durability of the products.

The collaboration with Howden has significantly improved our payment solutions. Their market knowledge and expertise have delivered a solution that exceeded our expectations. The process was handled professionally, and we now have a consistent and efficient payment solution that both optimizes internal processes and enhances our guests' experience.

In 2022/23, Sticks'n'Sushi had a turnover of 780 million DKK. The company operates 25 restaurants in Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom and employs around 1,400 employees.

Howden has shown a good understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities within online commerce, which has been crucial in precisely adapting our payment strategies to our business needs. With their advice, we have been able to implement cost-saving solutions. Howden financial advisory's ability to navigate the complex landscape of online payment methods has not only provided an overview of our transaction processes but also increased our competitiveness in an increasingly digitized world. Our experience with Howden financial advisory has exceeded all expectations, and we appreciate the value they have added to our online business.

ferm LIVING is a Danish company that has established a global business through function and aesthetics in their furniture collections. ferm LIVING sells both through their own store and own webshops in Denmark, England, France, and Germany, as well as through physical and online retailers. In 2022, ferm LIVING had a turnover of approximately 387 million DKK with 67 employees.

Their impartial advice has given us a clear advantage and has made us better equipped to navigate a complex payment landscape, despite having a deep understanding of it ourselves. After this project, we can recommend Howden to other companies looking to optimize their online payment solutions. Their commitment and dedication to delivering the best results make them a reliable and competent advisor.

HiFi Klubben is a leading Scandinavian retail chain that offers premium audio and home cinema equipment. The company has more than 95 physical stores in 5 countries as well as online shops in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and Holland. In 2022/23, HiFi Klubben had a turnover of 1.07 billion DKK.

Their approach has ensured that we have been able to make well-informed decisions and achieve the desired results. We can therefore highly recommend Howden as a trusted and competent partner who is able to create value through a professional and transparent process.

Tekla Fabrics is a Danish company specializing in luxurious textile products, including bedding, towels, and homewear. The company operates online shops in more than 30 countries and also has a physical store.

Howden has been an invaluable partner as we at ESS Group worked on optimizing our acquiring agreements for card and web payments. They had good insight into how our costs compared to other players in the market. Thanks to their independent position, they were able to help us negotiate favorable agreements, resulting in significant savings for us. We are very satisfied with the support and expertise we have received from Howden.

ESS Group offers today 16 unique destinations, which through tailored experiences in food, drink, wellness, and social activities, create personal and memorable stays. Their destinations, spread across several locations in the Nordic region, include Marielyst Strandhotel, Jacy'z Hotel & Resort, Ystad Saltsjöbad, and Ellery Beachhouse. In 2023, ESS Group had a turnover of 2.5 billion SEK and employs 2,800 employees.

Howden's efforts and subsequent negotiations have resulted in new and improved terms, where we have reached agreements with our preferred suppliers, while also achieving a significant saving, which we are very pleased with. Howden's analysis and benchmarking of our payment terms have given us valuable insight into our payment composition and confidence that we will have an optimal and future-proof payment universe going forward, which is why we highly recommend similar companies to use Howden's services to achieve similar benefits and optimizations in their payment setup.

WhiteAway sells appliances, vacuum cleaners, and other quality products for the home through both physical stores and online shops in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. In the fiscal year 2022/23, WhiteAway had a turnover of 1.9 billion DKK.

The result of their work has been a more transparent and efficient payment structure. We have gained a better understanding of our payment solution and can more easily manage our agreement with our existing supplier. We are very satisfied with Howden Financial Advisory's expertise and their ability to deliver tangible results. We can definitely recommend Howden as a partner.

Spirii has been a leading direction in smarter and simpler eMobility over the past 12 years, both as a charging station operator and platform provider. Spirii is represented in 14 countries and has +250 platform partners.

Their team has shown exceptional professionalism, availability, and a commitment to ensuring our success. We can confidently recommend Howden Financial Advisory as advisors and are excited to continue working with them.

InnoNature is a women's health company that specializes in dietary supplements, superfoods, and natural cosmetics. The company primarily sells its products through its website directly to customers.

Over the years, we have negotiated directly with our payment service providers and continuously improved our terms. We were therefore surprised when Howden presented their benchmark, which revealed a significant savings potential — and pleased when they were able to deliver the expected savings despite a challenging negotiating position.

Fleggaard Detail is a modern supermarket chain and the leading player in Danish/Scandinavian border trade. The chain consists of 13 border supermarkets offering an extensive range of products, from the classic border trade assortment to fresh meat, groceries, and non-food items.