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COST OF LIVING

UPDATED: Which supermarket in Norway is the cheapest?

A cost-of-living crisis in Norway means everyone is feeling the squeeze, and people are cutting back. So, where can you get the cheapest groceries in Norway? 

Published: 7 November 2022 11:18 CET
Updated: 17 February 2023 12:16 CET
Pictured is a supermarket.
This is what you need to know about selecting the best supermarket in Norway. Pictured is a supermarket. Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

Groceries in Norway are among the highest in Europe, according to figures from the EU’s data agency Eurostat. 

Out of the countries monitored by the stats agency, only Switzerland had a higher price level index. A price level index measures the price levels of a given nation relative to other countries. This means that compared to the rest of the other countries measured, food and non-alcoholic beverages in Norway are the second most expensive overall. 

High grocery prices in Norway have been made even worse by soaring costs elsewhere, be that rising rents, skyrocketing energy bills, interest rate hikes or high inflation in general. 

Therefore, getting the best deal is even more important than ever. So which store in Norway does the cheapest groceries? To answer that, we’ll need to explain a few things first. 

The supermarkets 

So in Norway, there are four large supermarket groups. These are Norgesgruppen (which runs Jakobs, Kiwi, Meny, Spar, Joker and Nærbutikken), Coop (Coop Extra, Coop Mega, Coop OBS, Coop Prix), Rema and Bunnpris. 

Out of those options, Rema, Kiwi and Coop Extra have long positioned themselves as the cheapest option available to consumers. 

Furthermore, stores like Meny and Jakobs try and position themselves as the more upmarket option for discerning customers. In addition, these two, along with Coop Mega, will have a larger and more varied product selection. 

Which is cheapest? 

Some sites and publications in Norway take the time to crunch the numbers and test which is the cheapest supermarket in practice. 

One of Norway’s biggest news publications, VG, does regular price comparisons for a typical shop between the stores. 

Its most recent index, published after supermarkets adjusted prices at the beginning of February, compared the chains battling it out for the title of Norway’s cheapest. 

 A shopping cart full of Norway’s most popular products was the cheapest at Kiwi, according to VG’s food price index.

Following the price adjustments at the beginning of February, several publications reported that Kiwi chose to freeze the prices on hundreds of items while competitors Coop Extra and Rema raised prices. 

Shortly afterwards, Rema and Coop moved to drop prices too, which shows in VG’s results as the same goods from Rema were just four kroner cheaper. Extra and delivery service Oda came in third and fourth, being just half a percent cheaper. 

This doesn’t tell the whole story 

While Rema, Kiwi and Coop Extra have traditionally been the go-to for more price-conscious consumers, there are a few more things you’ll need to know before deciding which is cheapest for you. 

First up, you need to consider how you would like to shop. In Norway, significant savings can be made when using websites which compile customer offers so you can make sure you are constantly shopping around for the products you buy the most. 

When using sites like Mattilbud, the cheapest supermarket might change week to week, or there might not be a cheapest supermarket overall, and you will need to shop around. 

READ ALSO: Six apps to help you save money on your food shopping in Norway

On the topic of shopping around, it is almost always cheaper to buy your fruit and vegetables from small international food stores. 

However, another option is sticking with just a single supermarket for most of your shopping and trying to save more in the long run by making the most of a loyalty program. 

Supermarket loyalty programs are one of the best ways to save a pretty penny on your shopping bill. There are also a few different ways they can be utilised to help you save money too.

Trumf, which covers Meny, Kiwi and Joker stores, offers cashback on purchases and discounts. 

These offer a great way of saving money passively. For example, with Trumf, you can either use the cash back you’ve accumulated to save on your next trip to the tills or have it deposited straight into your bank account.

To become a Trumf member, you must have a Norwegian phone number and bank account. You will then need to link a debit card to your account.

There are also days when you receive extra cashback or discounts on fresh fruit and vegetables. 

Rema customers can sign up to Æ, which offers 10 percent off all fresh fruit and vegetables and 10 percent off of your ten most frequently bought items, meaning you can save money on the things you buy the most.

The main drawback to the Coop loyalty scheme is the initial outlay. Unlike the other loyalty schemes, you will need to fork out to become a part owner of the supermarket chain. You do, however, get members-only offers and cashback, which is paid out once a year and can earn interest. 

So, you may want to choose the supermarket with the best loyalty scheme for your needs. Thankfully, if all this loyalty scheme talk is making your head spin, you can figure out the best one for you with this calculator from Smartepenger. You will need some Norwegian language skills (or google translate) to use it, though.  

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FOOD AND DRINK

How two women in Norway aim to bring seaweed to new heights in Europe

In the chilly waters of the Lofoten archipelago in northern Norway, two women want to bring the area's seaweed to fine dining tables across Norway and Europe.

Published: 23 April 2024 08:49 CEST
How two women in Norway aim to bring seaweed to new heights in Europe

In the glacial waters of the Lofoten archipelago in Norway’s far north, Angelita Eriksen uses a knife to cut a handful of seaweed that will soon end up in a fancy European eatery.

“We have the cleanest and clearest waters in the world. We’re very lucky that we have this really important resource growing right outside our doorstep,” Eriksen told AFP in a cabin on the shores of the northern Atlantic Ocean where the seaweed is laid out to dry.

“We want to show that to the world.”

The daughter of a Norwegian fisherman, Eriksen joined forces with New Zealand-born Tamara Singer, whose Japanese mother served seaweed with almost every meal, to start the company Lofoten Seaweed — specialising in harvesting and preparing seaweed for the food industry.

With the help of six others, they hand-pick 11 tonnes of seaweed a year, the snow-capped mountains plummeting into the sea behind them in a dramatic tableau.

It’s a demanding and “physical job”, said Eriksen.

The peak season runs from late April until June, but “we harvest the dulse, the nori and the sea truffle in the winter and fall”.

“It can be quite cold, as we can stay out for about an hour along the shore”, with lower legs and hands submerged in the chilly water.

By “late May, I’m actually sweating in my suit”.

Norwegian Co-Founder of "Lofoten Seaweed" Angelita Eriksen picks up Winged Kelp seaweeds in knee deep water.

Norwegian Co-Founder of “Lofoten Seaweed” Angelita Eriksen picks up Winged Kelp seaweeds. (Photo by Olivier Morin/ AFP)

One time, she said, “I took my glove off and the steam was just rising up”.

“It’s physically hard but at the same time it’s very meditative, or therapeutic in a way, to harvest,” she says.

‘Delicate’

Truffle seaweed, winged kelp, nori, dulse, sugar kelp, oarweed kelp: the pair focus on about 10 types of seaweed, long eaten in Japan and increasingly popular in Europe for their nutritional qualities.

The seaweed is sold locally or shipped to gourmet restaurants in Norway and the rest of Europe.

The two women organise workshops to teach chefs about the different varieties and the qualities of each type.

“Seaweeds are like vegetables, they have their own texture, taste and colours,” says Singer.

She said it was a “huge surprise” how many European chefs had little or no knowledge of the different flavours and ways of preparing seaweed.

The duo have worked with Japanese chefs “who know exactly what to do, you don’t have to tell them anything”.

“It’s just so natural for them. It’s like giving a piece of fish to a North Norwegian,” says Singer.

Some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away, chef Josh Wing has been serving the pair’s products in his high-end restaurant Hattvika Lodge for about five years.

He is well versed and does not need to take part in their workshops anymore.

Wing is particularly fond of the dulse, a “very delicate purple seaweed”, which he serves with local fish dishes or bread.

It “can provide a physical texture in a dish that you can’t get from other products”, he tells AFP.

US Chef Josh Haner prepares a dish based on seaweed condiments, surrounded by algae containers. (Photo by Olivier Morin/ AFP)

To ensure that their business is sustainable, Eriksen and Singer have mapped and dated their harvest sites, as well as the volumes of each species, for the past four years.

“Our results show that the regrowth in recently-harvested patches is actually faster than anticipated, almost as if a harvest actually stimulates growth,” says Singer.

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