UK Enterprise Awards 2021

34 | UK Enterprise Awards 2021 Best Online Standing Desk Retail Business 2021 & E-Commerce Customer Service Excellence Award 2021 A UK-based company that draws on Scandinavian design and its philosophy to offer exceptional products, FRISKA Desk is committed to its cause. We speak to Mike Boyt about the ‘Swedishness’ of the business and how commitment to exceptional quality underpins everything it stands for. FRISKA Desk specialises in providing Scandinavian designed and manufactured electric height adjustable desks, otherwise known as sit-stand desks. These desks are capable of adjusting themselves up or down to the height required meaning no unnecessary bulky equipment in the workspace. With more than 35 years of experience in the electro-mechanical industry, and the backup of a highly automated frame production facility in Sweden, FRISKA Desk is able to cater for every possible sit-stand desk requirement. “FRISKA means ‘healthy’ in Swedish,” explains Managing Director, Mike Boyt. “When we started developing our standing desks we started with health and wellbeing at the core, so the name seemed a natural fit for us.” Likewise, in terms of company values, there’s another Swedish word which sums this up perfectly. “The word ‘lagom,’ for which we don’t really have a direct translation in English, relates to achieving a conscious balance in the way we live,” Mike continues. “You might often see it described as ‘not too much, not too little’ – the idea that when things are ‘just so’ it leads to contentment.” Lagom is very much at the heart of a FRISKA standing desk. There’s the obvious balance between sitting and standing, but FRISKA sees many more points of balance – in design and function, home and office, work and play and, bringing things down to earth a little more, between value and service. Then there’s the most important balance of all, the balance between a desk and its owner. “We work really hard to create the perfect match of desk and the people we work with. We believe our standing desks are as good as a standing desk gets. That doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels – we’re always looking to refine what we do and how we do it - but we take a particular pride in the quality of every component, in the speed with which we deliver and the fact that we’re one of very few desk manufacturers who offer an in-house installation service.” While there may not be a huge number of competitors in this niche market space, a recent online comparison of like-for-like products saw FRISKA standing head and shoulders above the rest. The reviews, undertaken by FRISKA itself, took into account variables such as sturdiness, speed of movement, height variation, installation process, and noise output, as well as quality of build. “We always knew the FRISKA desk stood apart from its competitors – we designed it to be the best in its class – but I think even we were a little surprised by just how far ahead of the competition it is in so many ways. As a result, we don’t have a single USP – we have lots of them!” But perhaps the biggest USP is the very abstract parameter of ‘Swedishness’ as Mike elaborates: “We found that lots of desks that brand themselves to capitalise on the inherent faith we place in Scandinavian design aren’t Scandinavian at all. They’re made in China. We’re a UK company but our desks are made in Sweden, so it’s not just our name that’s Swedish!” With more than 35 years of experience in the electro-mechanical industry, and the backup of a highly automated frame production facility in Sweden, FRISKA Desk is able to cater for every possible sit-stand desk requirement.