The Bar Industry in Lillestrøm: Current Situation and Future Prospects

The bar industry in Lillestrøm has shown both strengths and challenges over the past few years. In 2026, there are 11 companies registered in the industry, with a total of 228 employees and annual revenues exceeding 57 million NOK. The dominant organizational form is AS, with 7 companies collectively employing 248 people. The industry has experienced strong growth since 2021, but there are also companies that are stagnant or experiencing negative results. SmartGrunder can help entrepreneurs find natural addresses in Lillestrøm for this industry.

Economic Trends

Annual Revenues and Employees:

• 2026: 57.3 million NOK in sales revenue (increase of +3.0% from 2023)
• 2026: 228 employees (increase of +9.6% from 2025)

Margins and Profitability:

• EBITDA margin: 6% (based on data from the Lillestrøm area)
• Gross margin: 429% (high degree of add-on sales)
• Operating margin: 4% (indicator of efficiency)

Growth Development:

• Greatest growth in the years 2021–2022 (+90.3% in sales revenue)
• Greatest decline in 2020–2021 (-53.9% in sales revenue)

Revenue per Employee:

• 526.8 thousand NOK per employee (high productivity)
• EBITDA per employee: 35.5 thousand NOK

Key Players in the Industry

Top Companies in Lillestrøm:

Special Cases:

• Solsiden Bar As and Vamika As have no reported activities
• O'connors Lillestrøm has negative EBITDA (-7%) and low sales growth (30%)
• Lephan Invest As and Lille Wembley Ans have no employees or revenues

Organizational Forms:

• 7 companies are AS (73% of total)
• 1 company is ANS (Lille Wembley)
• 1 company is DA (Temple Of Rock Da)

Geographic Distribution

All 11 companies in the bar industry in Lillestrøm are registered within the municipality itself. There is no sub-counting of activity in specific neighborhoods or areas. The most well-known addresses are located in:

• Storgata (Martins As, O'connors Lillestrøm)
• Sørumsgata (Viaggio As)
• Kirkegata (Lillestrøm Kulturpub As)
• Stortorget (O'connors Lillestrøm)
• Tærudgata (Vamika As)

There is no data on distribution between Lillestrøm and neighboring municipalities such as Sørumsand or Strømmen.

Operational Efficiency and Risk

Bankruptcy Safety:

• None of the 11 companies are registered as bankrupt (all are 'not bankrupt')
• However, some companies show negative results:
• Viaggio As: EBITDA of 266K (1% margin) with -17% sales growth
• O'connors Lillestrøm: EBITDA of -44.5K (-7% margin)
• Solsiden Bar As and Vamika As: No reported activities

Operational Risk:

• 3 companies have 0 sales revenue (Solsiden Bar As, Vamika As, Lille Wembley Ans)
• 2 companies have negative operating results (Viaggio As, O'connors Lillestrøm)
• 2 companies have high debt ratios (over 100% of equity)

Strengths:

• 5 companies have EBITDA margin over 8%
• 4 companies have operating results over 1.2M NOK

Opportunities:

• Increasing number of employees (from 197 in 2024 to 228 in 2026)
• Rising sales revenue after 2021 (from 26.1M to 57.3M)
• High EBITDA margin (6%) compared to the sector average
• Larger number of potential customers in Lillestrøm (city population of approximately 15,000)

Challenges:

• Bankruptcy risk for companies with low margins (such as Viaggio As)
• High bankruptcy rate in nearby industries (bar/club)
• Large variation in operating results (from -44.5K to +1.7M)
• Larger companies dominate the market (Martins As has 15.0M in sales revenue)

Recommendations:

• Focus on differentiation (cultural pubs, specialized concepts)
• Effective cost management (high gross margin of 429%)
• Development of unique customer relationships (high sales revenue per employee)
• Development of premises in central areas (Storgata, Kirkegata)

Broader Sector (Bar/Club):

• 14 companies in total (4 more than the bar industry)
• 230 employees in 2026 (compared to 228 in the bar industry)
• Same sales development (57.3M in 2026)

Peer Companies in Bar/Club:

Conclusion:

• Broader sector has slightly higher number of companies (14 vs 11)
• Peer companies in bar/club have lower operating results (0 EBITDA)
• Bar industry in Lillestrøm has better operating results than the average in the bar/club sector

The bar industry in Lillestrøm shows potential for growth, especially after 2021. With 228 employees and 57.3 million NOK in sales revenue in 2026, the sector is stable. However, there are challenges related to bankruptcy risk and variation in operating results. Entrepreneurs should focus on differentiation and effective cost management. Lillestrøm has a good infrastructure and a local community that can support new bar projects. SmartGrunder can help find natural addresses in the municipality for this industry.