History

Photo: Ole Henrik Skjelstad

We have been dedicated to photo, video and optics since the 1950s. Today, we are more passionated than ever to share knowledge, inspiration and lead the industry forward.

Our history

Focus Nordic is the result of a merger between a Swedish, a Norwegian and a Danish company.

1955

Westheimer A/S was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark by Paul Westheimer. He was one of the first to import Japanese camera brands like Canon and Minolta into Europe.

1956

Odd Aronsen A/S of Norway was founded in Oslo, by Odd Aronsens. Some of the first products in the line up was Yashica cameras from Japan, Rollei cameras and dia projectors from Germany.

1984

Focus Trading AB was founded i Mullsjö, Sweden by Thomas Wernbo. Projection screens were the first sold products, then the assortment grow fast with new categories such as lenses, binoculars, flashes, bags and more.

1985

Mikael Westheimer started in his father’s business, became CEO in 1990 and took over Westheimer A/S in 1995. The number of new brands grew rapidly.

Focus Sport Optics was established in Sweden. High quality binoculars and great value for the money has been the motto from the very start.

1988

Knut Aronsen started in his father’s business and renamed the company Knut Aronsen A/S in 1989. Energizer batteries, Hähnel products and Bilora tripod was key products. But also chinese camera manufacturers like Haking became a big share in the company sales.