SKIEN BY

What SKIEN BY does

Skien By (legal name: Skien By) is a Norwegian sentrumsforening — a city center association and membership organization based at Henrik Ibsens gate 2 in Skien, Norway — that coordinates and represents businesses, property owners, cultural organizations, residents, and public-sector stakeholders working to develop Skien's city center. It organizes 137 member businesses across six defined districts: Murbyen, Lie, Skien Brygge, Tømmerkaia/Klosterøya, Bakkestranda/Lundedalen, and Brekkeparken.

Its product portfolio is built around three operational assets: a membership directory and network that provides members visibility and influence over city center development decisions; the Skien By Gavekort, a gift card system valid for one year at most member businesses and distributed via automated kiosks at the Arkaden and Lietorvet shopping centers as well as via invoice for B2B sales; and an event listing platform (hva-skjer) where members submit events and users filter by date, type, and source. The organization also runs regular networking meetings and seasonal events such as Veteranbildagen with Grenland Veteranvognklubb and Tømmerkaiadagen.

Skien By is structured as a private, cooperative-like membership entity with 5 employees and no traditional ownership, shareholders, or venture capital; governance rests with members and elected leadership. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring semi-annual membership fees scaled by member turnover, ranging from 4,000 NOK per half-year for businesses with turnover up to 3 million NOK up to 14,000 NOK per half-year for property developers, with additional tiers at 6,200, 9,750, 12,800, and 9,500 NOK per half-year. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, combining networking, member-exclusive gatherings, joint marketing campaigns, and the gift card program. Distribution and awareness are supported by a website (skienby.no), Instagram (@skienby), email newsletters, and event marketing.

Name

SKIEN BY

Legal name

Skien By

Website

https://skienby.no

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Skien By is a Norwegian city center association (sentrumsforening) that coordinates 137 member businesses, property owners, and public stakeholders across six Skien districts through membership fees, a multi-merchant gift card system with kiosk distribution, and a shared event and marketing platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Skien

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Skien By generates revenue through annual membership fees structured by business revenue tiers. Fees range from 4,000 NOK per half-year for businesses with turnover up to 3 million NOK, up to 14,000 NOK per half-year for property developers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SKIEN BY operates as a Norwegian sentrumsforening (city center association) and membership organization uniting 137 local businesses, property owners, cultural actors, and public entities to develop a vibrant and attractive Skien city center. Its primary commercial offerings are a unified gift card system (Skien By Gavekort) sold via automated kiosks at Arkaden and Lietorvet shopping centers, a curated membership directory organized by district (bydel), and an event listing platform. These serve as the operational backbone for collaborative city center marketing and footfall generation across Skien's six districts.

Product overview

SKIEN BY is a city center association (sentrumsforening) and membership organization that operates a digital platform to promote a vibrant, attractive, and sustainable city center. The organization offers a unified portfolio of services centered around a digital gift card system (Skien By Gavekort) with physical vending machines in Arkaden and Lietorvet, a membership network of 137 engaged businesses organized by district (bydel), and an event listing platform. These products work together as an integrated city center ecosystem where members gain visibility and accessibility through the gift card network and event platform, while residents and visitors use the gift cards and event listings to support local commerce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skien By Gavekort (Gift Card)

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Grenland VeteranvognklubbminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2026Grenland veteran car club organizes Veteranbildagen (Veteran Car Day) in Skien city center together with Skien By. The event fills the pedestrian street, Ibsenparken, and area in front of Kaffehuset with up to 200 veteran cars, great sound, and unique vehicles.
• Telemark FylkeskommunecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2026Telemark County Municipality is planning a new seven-story office building on the former Esso site at Landmannstorget with capacity for up to 200 workplaces. Skien By has expressed strong support for the project and the municipality's handling of the matter.
• Various businesses and property developerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Steinar Moe Eiendom has been instrumental in developing Tømmerkaia area in collaboration with Skien By. Tyrilisenteret Skien maintains good cooperation with the property developer and helps maintain the area.
• Skien KommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe municipality is described as a central cooperation partner. Skien By facilitates dialogue and collaboration between business life, property owners, and public actors for sustainable city center development.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Oslo Sentrum: Oslo's sentrumsforening (city center association) operating the same membership, events, and city-center-development model as Skien By, but at much larger scale in Norway's capital. Closest structural peer in the same Norwegian sentrumsforening category.
• Trondheim Sentrum: Trondheim's sentrumsforening running a comparable member-based model for city center businesses with events, marketing, and member services. Same Norwegian sentrumsforening framework as Skien By.
• Bergen Sentrum: Bergen's city center association serving member businesses across downtown districts with events, marketing, and urban development coordination. Direct structural peer under the same Norwegian sentrumsforening concept.
• Drammen Sentrum: Drammen's sentrumsforening representing member businesses in the city center with similar events, networking, and joint marketing activities. Direct peer in the Norwegian mid-sized city sentrumsforening segment.
• Bodø Sentrum: Bodø's city center association operating the same membership-driven model for downtown businesses, including events and joint marketing. Comparable mid-sized Norwegian city sentrumsforening peer.
• Tønsberg Sentrum: Tønsberg's sentrumsforening organizing member businesses around city center development, marketing, and events. Comparable mid-sized Norwegian sentrumsforening with similar member economics.
• Kristiansand Sentrum: Kristiansand's downtown association coordinating member businesses in city center development and promotion. Same Norwegian sentrumsforening model and member-services framework as Skien By.
• Stavanger Sentrum: Stavanger city center association supporting member businesses with marketing, events, and development advocacy. Direct sentrumsforening peer in a comparable Norwegian urban context.

Broad incumbents

• Times Square Alliance: Established Business Improvement District in NYC that levies assessments on properties to fund sanitation, security, marketing, and events in the Times Square district. Same BID/sentrumsforening concept but at materially larger scale and budget.
• Heart of London Business Alliance: London BID representing businesses in the West End with services including street cleaning, security, marketing, and events. Same Business Improvement District model as Skien By, applied at a much larger urban scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/skienby

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SKIEN BY