Swedish outdoor retailer Fjällräven (translated as "Arctic fox") will open a flagship store at Mall of America this spring.

"With decades of experience designing functional gear and cold weather apparel, we are a great match for the people of Minnesota and the Midwest," said Nathan Dopp, vice president of sales for Fjällräven North America, in a statement.

The Mall of America store will be the first in Minnesota for Fjällräven, although Askov Finlayson, the Swedish Institute in Minneapolis and Brightwater in Excelsior carry a few pieces. It also will be the company's first store in a mall and the ninth in the United States, most of which opened last year.

"It's a brand that's done really well for us," said Eric Dayton, co-owner of Askov Findlayson men's shop. "The quality is there. The brand is made to last."

The difficult-to-say-and-spell retailer, pronounced "fall-raven" by most Americans, Dopp said, will be on the first floor in the former location G-Star premium denim, which closed last summer. Small upscale fashion retailers such as G-Star have struggled at Mall of America. Moods of Norway closed in January after only 18 months, although Moods closed nearly all of its U.S. stores.

Fjällräven's prices aren't inexpensive. High-performance shirts run $100 to $150, but Dopp said the line is so durable that it can be handed down. Some of the line is manufactured in Europe, but much of it is made in Asia.

Dopp hopes that the large number of Twin Cities residents with Swedish backgrounds will seek out the store. "People with a strong affiliation to the home country come out of the woodwork to find us when they discover we sell kånkens [a square backpack]," he said. "Every school kid in Sweden has one."

"This brand is the perfect fit for our audience of outdoor enthusiasts," said Jill Renslow, senior vice president of marketing at Mall of America.

This will be the second outdoor retailer to open in Mall of America in recent months. L.L. Bean also opened its first Minnesota store.

For more information about the line, go to www.fjallraven.us.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633