Industry · municipality
Ethnic Grocery Stores in Arendal: A Detailed Analysis of Companies, Statistics, and Outlooks
An overview of the local industry, focusing on activity, economy, and future perspectives in Arendal, Agder.
Executive Summary
This article provides a detailed overview of the local ethnic grocery industry in Arendal, focusing on companies, economic trends, geographic distribution, and future perspectives. The data shows an industry with both challenges and opportunities, especially in light of demographic changes and economic dynamics in the municipality.
Economic Overview
Economic Trends
Sales Development: Sales in the ethnic grocery industry in Arendal have been volatile in recent years. There was NOK 3.9 million in 2016, but this was soon followed by a strong increase to NOK 11.4 million in 2018. Sales then sharply declined, with NOK 710,000 in 2025. This decline is particularly marked after 2020, where sales fell by over 50% from 2019 to 2020.
Employees: The number of employees has varied significantly, with a peak of 24 employees in 2023. There is a clear decline in 2025, where the number of employees is 16. This shows an unstable labor market situation in the industry.
Summary of Key Data
| Year | Sales (NOK) | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3.9M | 2 |
| 2017 | 6.2M | 12 |
| 2018 | 11.4M | 16 |
| 2019 | 6.5M | 21 |
| 2020 | 2.9M | 20 |
| 2021 | 2.6M | 22 |
| 2022 | 2.3M | 19 |
| 2023 | 2.0M | 24 |
| 2024 | 1.5M | 24 |
| 2025 | 710K | 16 |
This shows an industry that has experienced both growth and declining trends, with a clear decline after 2020.



Companies in the Industry
Registered Companies
There are 3 companies in the ethnic grocery industry registered in Arendal:
- Norcash As – Vestre gate 19, Arendal. Organizational form: AS. Founded: 2015-10-27. Number of employees: 12. Not bankrupt.
- Asia.com As – Vestre gate 5, Arendal. Organizational form: AS. Founded: 2015-01-01. Number of employees: 0. Not bankrupt. EBITDA: -NOK 24,000. Sales: NOK 712,000. EBITDA margin: -3%.
- Halal Matbutikk Hussein Mohamud Hassan – Blødekjær 7, Arendal. Organizational form: ENK. Founded: 2023-06-30. Number of employees: 0. Not bankrupt.
Organizational Form
There is 1 AS company in the industry, and there are 12 employees in this company. There is no data on operating profit or EBITDA for this company.
Business Geography
Geographic Distribution
All companies in the ethnic grocery industry in Arendal are registered in Arendal. There is 1 company in the municipality, and there are 12 employees in this company. There is no data on operating profit or EBITDA for this company.
There is no data on sales or operating profit for the companies in Arendal. There is also no data on how many employees are in the companies in Arendal.

Business Dynamics
Operational Dynamics
Bankruptcies: There are no bankruptcies registered for the companies in the ethnic grocery industry in Arendal. However, there is a company change in Asia.com As, which has negative EBITDA and high debt. This may be a sign of economic challenges for the company.
Employees: The number of employees has varied significantly, with a peak of 24 employees in 2023. There is a clear decline in 2025, where the number of employees is 16. This shows an unstable labor market situation in the industry.
Sales: Sales have been volatile, with a strong increase from 2016 to 2018, but then a sharp decline from 2019 to 2020. There is no data on why this has happened, but it may be a combination of economic and demographic factors.
Outlook
Future Outlook
For entrepreneurs considering starting an ethnic grocery store in Arendal, it is important to be aware of the recent years of increasing sales and number of employees. This may indicate a growing ethnic population in the municipality, which could provide opportunities for new companies in the industry.
It is also important to be aware of the recent years of increasing sales and number of employees. This may indicate a growing ethnic population in the municipality, which could provide opportunities for new companies in the industry.
SmartGrunder can help entrepreneurs find suitable addresses in Arendal for an ethnic grocery store, based on natural development trends and demographic data.
Outlook for the Service Sector
Service sector in Arendal has much more activity than the ethnic grocery industry. There are 93 companies in the service sector, compared to 3 companies in the ethnic grocery industry. This shows that the service sector is much larger and more stable than the ethnic grocery industry.
Sales: Sales for the service sector have been more stable, with an increase from NOK 1,610.4 million in 2016 to NOK 2,035.8 million in 2024. This shows that the service sector has been more stable than the ethnic grocery industry.
Employees: The number of employees in the service sector has been more stable, with an increase from 852 employees in 2016 to 896 employees in 2026. This shows that the service sector has been more stable than the ethnic grocery industry.
Peer Companies: Current peer companies in the service sector include companies such as Mega Arendal Avd 43, Ng Kiwi Agder As Avd 727 Stoa Øst, and Kristoffer Norli Svarva As. These companies have higher sales and more employees than companies in the ethnic grocery industry.



Other companies in tjenester (not in ethnic grocery store)
| Company | Industry | Address | Sales | Employees | EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obs Arendal Avd 200 | supermarket chain | Sagvannsveien 66, 4848 Arendal | NOK 226.8M | 69 | NOK 11.9M |
| Mega Arendal Avd 43 | supermarket chain | Strømsbusletta 9, 4847 Arendal | NOK 101.7M | 35 | NOK 5.3M |
| Ng Kiwi Agder As Avd 727 Stoa Øst | supermarket chain | Frolandsveien 180, 4848 Arendal | NOK 81.8M | 26 | NOK 4.1M |
| Ng Kiwi Agder As Avd 745 Krøgenes | supermarket chain | Kystveien 240, 4841 Arendal | NOK 73.0M | 24 | NOK 3.7M |
| Ng Kiwi Agder As Avd 719 Nedenes | supermarket chain | Natvigveien 1, 4823 Nedenes | NOK 67.2M | 22 | NOK 3.4M |
| Ng Kiwi Agder As Avd 718 Myrene | supermarket chain | Myreneveien 6, 4847 Arendal | NOK 58.4M | 14 | NOK 2.9M |
| Ng Kiwi Agder As Avd 733 Saltrød | supermarket chain | Kystveien 690, 4815 Saltrød | NOK 58.4M | 18 | NOK 2.9M |
| Kristoffer Norli Svarva As | supermarket | Kystveien 244, 4841 Arendal | NOK 123.7M | 28 | NOK 2.9M |
| Ng Kiwi Agder As Avd 721 Arendal Sentrum | supermarket chain | Kirkegaten 2A, 4836 Arendal | NOK 55.5M | 16 | NOK 2.8M |
| Gs Butikkdrift As | supermarket | Rykeneveien 109, 4824 Bjorbekk | NOK 75.3M | 25 | NOK 2.5M |
| Extra Stoa Avd 042 | supermarket chain | Sørsvannsveien 4, 4848 Arendal | NOK 46.9M | 15 | NOK 2.5M |
| Extra Tromøytunet Avd 029 | supermarket chain | Elgveien 9, 4818 Færvik | NOK 46.9M | 19 | NOK 2.5M |
| Meny Krøgenes | supermarket | Kystveien 236, 4841 Arendal | NOK 104.8M | 59 | NOK 2.3M |
| Normal Norge As Avd No1031 Arendal Alti Arendal | discount store | Vesterveien 4, 4836 Arendal | NOK 19.2M | 11 | NOK 2.2M |
| Extra Eydehavn Avd 028 | supermarket chain | Formannsgata 1C, 4810 Eydehavn | NOK 39.1M | 16 | NOK 2.1M |
| Ng Kiwi Agder As Avd 709 Nyli | supermarket chain | Nyli ringvei 21A, 4844 Arendal | NOK 40.9M | 14 | NOK 2.1M |
| Kicks Norge As Avd 665 Amfi Senter Arendal | discount store | Vesterveien 4, 4836 Arendal | NOK 38.8M | 7 | NOK 2.0M |
| Meny Stoa | supermarket chain | Sørsvannsveien 2, 4848 Arendal | NOK 77.3M | 33 | NOK 1.7M |
| Normal Norge As Avd No 1093 Arendal Alti Harebakken | discount store | Langsæveien 5, 4846 Arendal | NOK 14.4M | 12 | NOK 1.6M |
| Normal Norge As Avd No1130 Arendal Krøgnes | discount store | Kystveien 244, 4841 Arendal | NOK 14.4M | 11 | NOK 1.6M |
| Meny Harebakken | supermarket chain | Langsæveien 5, 4846 Arendal | NOK 73.3M | 38 | NOK 1.6M |
| Holdbart As Avd Arendal | supermarket chain | Sagvannsveien 16, 4848 Arendal | NOK 24.9M | 11 | NOK 1.4M |
| Erik Mørkesdal Hansen As | supermarket | Kirkeveien 186, 4817 His | NOK 72.3M | 20 | NOK 1.1M |
| Hisøy Mat As | supermarket | Skogveien 3, 4817 His | NOK 13.1M | 11 | NOK 953.0K |
| Fredrik & Louisa As Avd Harebakken | discount store | Langsæveien 5, 4846 Arendal | NOK 17.1M | 5 | NOK 738.3K |
| Fiskebrygga As Avd Butikk | fish store | Nedre Tyholmsvei 1, 4836 Arendal | NOK 12.7M | 46 | NOK 581.9K |
| Matkroken Kilsund Avd 4509 | supermarket | Kilsundveien 156, 4920 Staubø | NOK 24.5M | 14 | NOK 399.0K |
| Gulltopp As | food/beverages/tobacco stores | c/o Life Harebakken|Harebakken Senter|Langsæveien 5, 4846 Arendal | NOK 6.1M | 8 | NOK 327.0K |
| Blanda Drops As | other non-specialised store | Kystveien 690, 4815 Saltrød | NOK 2.2M | 2 | NOK 193.0K |
| Rykene Nærkjøp As | supermarket | Presteveien 21, 4821 Rykene | NOK 16.2M | 13 | NOK 126.0K |
| Sanma As | supermarket | Sletteheia 10, 4842 Arendal | NOK 1.0M | 0 | NOK 104.0K |
| Sten Roar Høgli As | supermarket chain | Vesterveien 737, 4823 Nedenes | NOK 55.1M | 24 | NOK 57.0K |
| Lundvall Dagligvare As | supermarket chain | REMA 1000 STOA|Sagvannsveien 16, 4848 Arendal | NOK 71.5M | 18 | NOK 46.0K |
| Kos I Koppen As | food/beverages/tobacco stores | Revesandveien 316, 4818 Færvik | NOK 271.0K | 1 | NOK 1.0K |
| 2menn Ans | other non-specialised store | Hisøysvingen 70, 4817 | NOK 0 | 0 | NOK 0 |
| Aarli Gruppen | other non-specialised store | Slottheia 12, 4824 Bjorbekk | NOK 0 | 0 | NOK 0 |
| Ahmad Panam As | supermarket chain | REMA 1000 MAXIS|Vesterveien 44, 4839 Arendal | NOK 0 | 13 | NOK 0 |
| Anne Merete Moen | discount store | Villaveien 16, 4816 Kolbjørnsvik | NOK 0 | 0 | NOK 0 |
| Arendal Helsekost As | food/beverages/tobacco stores | Sunkost Alti Arendal|Vesterveien 4, 4836 | NOK 0 | 6 | NOK 0 |
| Asian Market Arendal As | supermarket chain | v/ Krøgenes Handelspark|Kystveien 244, 4841 Arendal | NOK 0 | 5 | NOK 0 |
Conclusion
The ethnic grocery industry in Arendal has shown both growth and declining trends in recent years. This shows an industry with both challenges and opportunities. Entrepreneurs considering starting an ethnic grocery store in Arendal should be aware of the recent years of increasing sales and number of employees, which may indicate a growing ethnic population in the municipality.
It is also important to be aware of the recent years of increasing sales and number of employees. This may indicate a growing ethnic population in the municipality, which could provide opportunities for new companies in the industry.
SmartGrunder can help entrepreneurs find suitable addresses in Arendal for an ethnic grocery store, based on natural development trends and demographic data.