Danish FMCGs - Fast Moving Consumer Goods Retailers

FMCGs are increasingly seeking new markets either by expanding their business nationally or internationally. In Denmark most FMCGs are Danish owned, but you will also find international fast moving consumer goods retailers operating in Denmark. 

FMCG supermarkets in Denmark 

Like in most other countries you will find different types of FMCGs in Denmark. The most common FMCG shop in Denmark is known as a supermarket. A supermarket is a self-service grocery store which mainly sells food and daily household articles. In a supermarket you will find separate departments with fruit and vegetables, dairy products, sweets, beverages, bread, meat, personal care products, cleaning supplies and other daily household products.

Supermarkets are increasingly also offering special weekly deals on both food and non-food articles in order to attract customers. The normal size of a Danish FMCG supermarket is about 7,000 square meters. You will find both discount supermarkets with a low selection of goods, supermarkets with a somewhat broader selection of goods and supermarkets offering a large selection of quality goods.

Larger FMCGs in Denmark

Larger FMCGs can also be found all around Denmark. The larger FMCGs normally offer a broader selection of clothing, electronics and other non-food products. Larger FMCGs also offer a broader selection of food and household products than the normal supermarket.

Hypermarkets in Denmark

Hypermarkets are rare in Denmark, but you will find some of these stores in the suburbs of the larger Danish cities. In a hypermarket you will find a broad selection of food and daily household products as well as electronics, furniture, garden products, tools, clothing, books, music and other products.

Convenience stores and kiosks in Denmark

Smaller convenience stores and kiosks are popular in Denmark. You can find convenience stores in the cities and as an integrated part of some filling stations. The convenience store is characterised by having a small selection of food, beverages and household products.

Some convenience stores also offer hot fast food. Convenience stores and kiosks have long opening hours making it possible for customers to buy the most necessary daily products when they need or want to.

Fast moving consumer goods retailers in Denmark

The 2 largest Danish FMCG companies are Coop Danmark and Dansk Supermarked. Furthermore the Danish company Dagrofa is also a strong player in the Danish FMCG market. Foreign companies like SPAR International, Aldi, Lidl, Reitangruppen and NorgesGruppen are also involved in the Danish fast moving consumer goods retail business. 

Coop Danmark, FDB and Coop Trading

Coop Danmark owns the fast moving consumer goods chains SuperBrugsen, Dagli’Brugsen, Irma, Fakta and Kvickly. With at total of 35,000 employees Coop Denmark is one of Denmark's largest companies.

Coop Denmark is 100% owned by the cooperative FDB which has 1.6 million members. FDB also owns a conference centre, an advertising agency, a real estate company and the internet FMCG services Nettorvet and Irmatorvet. However Coop Denmark is by far their main activity.

Coop Trading is the largest purchasing company in the Nordic countries. Coop Trading purchase food and non-food articles which are regularly bought by 13 million customers though FMCGs in all of the Nordic countries. Coop Trading is jointly owned by Coop Denmark, Coop Norge, Coop Sverige and Inex/SOK in Finland.

Coop Denmark is not connected to Coop Norge and Coop Sverige in any other way than though the purchasing company Coop Trading. Coop Trading have their headquarters in Denmark and have offices in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, India and Spain.

Dansk Supermarked, A.P. Moller - Maersk Group and F. Salling

Dansk Supermarked is a private owned company which owns the FMCGs Netto, Føtex, Bilka and A-Z. Dansk Supermarked is owned 67.68% by A.P. Moller - Maersk Group and 32.32% by F. Salling.

A.P. Moller - Maersk Group is the largest company group in Denmark primarily involved with shipping activities. F. Salling was the original founder company of Dansk Supermarked or Jysk Supermarked as it was originally called. Besides the FMCGs Dansk Supermarked also own and run the clothing and shoe chain Tøj&Sko as well as the large Salling department stores in Aalborg and Aarhus.

Dansk Supermarked employ 34,000 people in Denmark and a total of 11,000 in Germany, Poland, Sweden and United Kingdom. Dansk Supermarked runs joint purchasing activities for all their retail chains.

Furthermore Dansk Supermarked has joined AMS (Associated Marketing Service) which is among the five largest purchasing organisations in Europe. AMS jointly buys large quantities of goods for Nordic and other European FMCG chains with brings economies of scale for each chain.

Dagrofa Detail, SuperGros, Dagrofa, Skandinavisk Holding and KFI

Dagrofa Detail is a part of the Dagrofa group. Dagrofa Detail runs 50 SuperBest FMCGs of different sizes. SuperBest is a voluntary chain which also consists of independent grocer's stores and franchise stores.

Dagrofa Detail also owns 50% of KIWI Danmark which runs the KIWI Minipriser stores in Denmark. The other 50% of KIWI Denmark is owned by NorgesGruppen. NorgesGruppen is a Norwegian FMCG group running FMCGs and other stores primarily in Norway but also in Denmark and Sweden. Dagrofa Detail is also joint owners of SPAR Danmark which markets the different SPAR chains in Denmark.

The Dagrofa group owns 53% of SuperGros which is Denmark's largest grocery wholesaler company. Foodservice Danmark runs Dagrofa S-Engros which is also a part of the Dagrofa group. They sell food, prepared food and non-food to businesses e.g. convenience stores, kiosks and restaurants. Dagrofa S-Engros runs 29 Cash & Carry stores for businesses only.

Skandinavisk Holding owns 55% of the Dagrofa group. Skandinavisk Holding also owns Scandinavian Tobacco Group and 32% of the shares in the world famous Tivoli Gardens. The 2 KFI group companies KFI-Figros and KFI-Detail are also among the owners of Dagrofa.

The largest FMCG chains in Denmark

The largest FMCG chains in Denmark are primarily owned by either Coop Danmark or Dansk Supermarked. However you will also find other Danish owned fast moving consumer goods chains as well as Norwegian and German owned FMCG companies operating in Denmark.

The size and turnover of a FMCG operation varies a lot. However just by looking at the number of chain stores you can get an overview of which chains are most common in Denmark:

• 411 Netto stores - A FMCG chain focusing on discount and branded products
• 394 Dagli'Brugsen stores  - Mainly a local FMCG chain also strong in the country side.
• 367 Fakta stores - A discount FMCG chain
• 271 SuperBrugsen stores - A FMCG chain with a broader selection of daily goods
• 251 SPAR stores - Local grocer shops
• 244 Aldi stores - A German discount FMCG chain
• 225 NærKØB kiosks - A chain of independent kiosks and small convenience stores
• 205 SuperBest stores - A FMCGs with a broad selection of daily goods
• 201 Rema 1000 stores - A Norwegian discount chain with a broader selection of daily goods
• 148 7-Eleven convenience stores - Smaller stores with convenience goods run by the Norwegian owned Reitan Servicehandel Danmark
• 118 KWIK SPAR convenience stores - Smaller stores in cities and local communities
• 91 SUPER SPAR stores - A FMCGs chain situated in large and midsized cities
• 85 føtex stores - A chain of large FMCGs offering groceries, cloths and electronics
• 81 Kvickly stores - Larger FMCG stores offering food and non-food products
• 80 Irma stores - A FMCG offering a large selection of high quality groceries
• 80 Lidl stores - A German discount FMCG chain expanding in Denmark
• 68 LetKøb stores - A chain of local grocery stores
• 72 Kiwi Minipriser stores - A Norwegian discount FMCG chain
• 29 Dagrofa S-Engros stores -  A Cash & Carry stores for businesses only 
• 26 EUROSPAR stores - A large FMCG offering  a large selection of groceries
• 15 Bilka stores - A hypermarket offering a large selection of food and non-food products
• 4 METRO stores - A Cash & Carry store for businesses only
• 2 A-Z stores - A hypermarket offering a large selection of non-food products 
• 1 C convenience store - A new exclusive convenience store chain also offering take away food

You will also be able to find a large number of independent kiosks and smaller groceries stores. However the trend is that most Danish FMCGs and grocery stores cooperate in some way in order to obtain economies of scale especially in purchasing, marketing and in shop concept operations.

Netto

Netto is the only Danish FMCG which has stores outside of the Kingdom of Denmark. You can find Netto fast moving consumer goods stores in Denmark, Germany, Poland, Sweden and United Kingdom.

The Danish FMCG chain Netto has one of the most successful retail operations in Denmark. Netto has a total of 411 Fast Moving Consumer Goods stores in Denmark, 323 stores in Germany, 212 stores in Poland, 194 stores in United Kingdom and 129 stores in Sweden.

Netto is a discount FMCG which focuses on offering an assortment of quality food, beverages and non-food products which covers 90% of the normal consumers daily grocery needs.

Franchising, marketing and purchasing co-operations

Most FMCGs operating Denmark are owned by Coop Danmark, Dansk Supermarked, Dagrofa Detail, owned as a franchise and/or are a part of a marketing and purchasing co-operation.

Almost every FMCG in Denmark somehow is a part of a branded retail chain which markets itself massively though e.g. TV commercials, sponsorships and other joint marketing activities. Almost all Danish FMCGs print and distribute weekly ad circulars with special offers to people's mail boxes in the local area.

Most FMCGs in Denmark are part of a larger joint purchasing co-operation. This helps keep their costs low and makes it possible for the FMCGs to compete on the price of the goods they offer.