Product Innovation Challenge

About the Challenge

Clas Ohlson invites you to compete with your innovative product ideas to help stock Clas Ohlson’s shelves with exciting new products. Hardware, Electrical, Home, Multimedia, or Leisure products that support a sustainable lifestyle are encouraged to join the competition.

The winning product will be marketed and sold by Clas Ohlson in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, and the UK.

Important Dates

Competition opens - September 23

Submission deadline - November 30

Finalists are announced - December

Finalists are interviewed - December

Winner announced - January

Eligibility

Clas Ohlson Product Innovation Challenge 2016 welcomes participation to those who are:

• 18 years or older
• Residents of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, or the UK
• Participating as individuals, teams, or companies

The following are excluded from participating in the competition:

• Employees of Clas Ohlson, including participants of the jury and persons consulted by the jury
• Partners and family members or persons with a close personal relationship (e.g., friends, neighbors, etc.) to jury members

Judging Process

Following the deadline, a jury panel consisting of Clas Ohlson key stakeholders and external representatives will select ten (10) finalists. These ten (10) finalists will be announced on the competition’s website in December, 2016. The judges will then interview the finalists, giving them the opportunity to present and explain their innovations. The panel will evaluate each of the finalists’ interviews to determine the winner.

The product submission will be judged on five (5) main criteria:

1. Sustainability: how well the product supports a sustainable lifestyle for Clas Ohlsons' customers. Our definition of products for a more sustainable lifestyle is products that meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Reduces energy or water consumption in the home
• Supports recycling or is made from recycled materials
• Helps to reuse or reduce waste
• Has an improved environmental impact, such as eco-labelled products
• The use of materials is optimised or potentially hazardous chemicals are replaced

      2. Innovative strength: how original and unique the product is
      3. Brand fit: how well the product fits in with Clas Ohlson’s assortment and company values
      4. Potential market reach: how much potential the product has to be sold at a sufficient volume
      5. Implementation time: how feasible the product can be produced within a set time frame, for example, 12 months

• Submissions that are not completed in accordance with these Terms and Conditions and the Clas Ohlson Product
• Innovation Challenge instructions, will not be considered. Nor will incomplete or illegible submissions.
• The competition organisers will not be held responsible for any harm or loss incurred by participants as a result of partaking in the competition.
• The submitted contribution might already exist in the company's hosting the competition innovation process. Therefore, the company hosting the competition reserves the right to, at its sole discretion and without any liability, reject contributions that they believe reflects the ideas they already have in their innovation process.
• Clas Ohlson will retain the exclusive distribution rights of the winning product(-s) during a specified amount of time as subject to a separate agreement between Clas Ohlson AB and the winner(-s) which will be determined based on the character and type of product.
• Participants guarantee that Clas Ohlson’s use of the product and/or submitted idea by the participants will not infringe on any third party’s rights (including, but not limited to, intellectual property rights).
• All submitted material should be presented in English. All submissions that are not in English will be automatically disqualified.
• The winning product will be included in Clas Ohlsons' assortment, marketed and sold by Clas Ohlson in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, and the UK, as subject to a separate agreement between Clas Ohlson AB and the winner(-s).
• No alternative prizes will be offered.
• All winners will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize.

For more official information click "Further official information" below.