Bernd Freier

Bernd Freier opened his first clothing store in Wuerzburg, Germany in 1969. He named it Sir Oliver after the hero of Dickens' novel Oliver Twist.The company, whose name was later shortened to s.Oliver, initially focused on standard mix-and-match casual fare.It has diversified into underwear, beachwear and nightwear, as well as licensing and sub-labels for evening clothes and trend-focused collections.Freier stepped down as CEO in January 2014 but took over again in October 2018, when Gernot Lenz was let go after less than a year at the helm.With annual sales of around $1.8 billion, s.Oliver now has more than 700 stores and partner stores in over 20 countries.