Health Food Stores in Fredrikstad: Industry Analysis and Outlook

Health food stores in Fredrikstad constitute a small but dynamic sector with four registered companies. The only actively operating store is located in Kråkerøy, while the other companies have either zero employees or lack operational data. Sales showed strong growth in 2021 and 2023, but have been unstable since. An EBITDA margin of 8% indicates potential profitability, but the small business structure and limited number of employees (8 total) suggest a highly competitive market. SmartGrunder can help entrepreneurs find optimal locations within the municipality for this industry.

Sales Development (NOK):

Employees (Annual):

Sales grew by 127.4% from 2020 to 2021, but later showed variations up to a 30.9% decline. Employees increased by 42.9% from 2024 to 2025, but are now at 8 in 2026. The only actively operating store in Kråkerøy reported 5.8M in sales and 8 employees in 2025.

Registered Companies (4 total):

1. Life Værstetorvet (AS, 8 employees, Kråkerøy) – Operational data available, not bankrupt
2. Life Lilletorvet (ENK, 0 employees, Fredrikstad) – No operational data
3. Life Torvbyen (AS, 0 employees, Fredrikstad) – No operational data
4. Life Østfoldhallene (AS, 0 employees, Rolvsøy) – No operational data

Organizational Forms:

• 1 AS company with 8 employees
• 3 companies with 0 employees (possible dissolution or inactivity)

Bankruptcy Statistics: No companies in the industry are bankrupt in 2025.

Locations in the Municipality:

Concentration: The only actively operating store is located in Kråkerøy, while the other companies are registered in Fredrikstad and Rolvsøy without operational data. This indicates a potential market advantage in Kråkerøy, but lack of activity in other parts of the municipality.

Bankruptcy Statistics: No companies in the industry are bankrupt in 2025, indicating a stable sector. However, three of the four companies have 0 employees and no operational data, which may indicate dissolution or inactivity.

Operational Data: The only actively operating store in Kråkerøy reports:

• Sales: 5.8M NOK
• EBITDA: 471.6K NOK
• EBITDA margin: 8%
• Gross profit: 186.7M NOK

Conclusion: The industry has high profitability (8% EBITDA margin), but small scale and unstable operational activity.

Outlook for Entrepreneurs

Strengths:

• High EBITDA margin (8%) at the one operating store
• Potential market advantage in Kråkerøy
• Low competition from other health food stores in the municipality

Development Trends:

• Sales grew by 33.2% from 2024 to 2025
• Employees increased by 42.9% from 2024 to 2025

Risk:

• Unstable operational activity (three companies have 0 employees)
• Small number of employees (8 total) may limit scale

Recommendation: Entrepreneurs should consider establishing themselves in Kråkerøy, where there is an active store, and focus on developing a stable operational model.

Services Sector in Fredrikstad (160 companies):

• Sales: 2.18M NOK in 2025 (down from 2.38M NOK in 2024)
• Employees: 1,277 in 2026 (increase of 9.2% from 2025)

Comparison with Health Food Stores:

• The services sector has 160 companies vs. 4 in the health food store sector
• The services sector has higher sales (2.18M NOK vs. 4.6M NOK for health food stores)
• Health food stores have a higher EBITDA margin (8% vs. average in the services sector)

Peer Companies in the Services Sector:

• Bjørn Andre Moen Drift AS (supermarket chain, 41 employees, 142.1M NOK sales)
• Coop Øst SA (supermarket, 31 employees, 112.4M NOK sales)
• Ng Kiwi Øst AS (supermarket chain, 19 employees, 83.6M NOK sales)

Conclusion: Health food stores have potential profitability, but are small compared to the services sector. Entrepreneurs should consider collaboration or differentiation from competitors in the services sector.

Health food stores in Fredrikstad constitute a small but potentially profitable sector with an active store in Kråkerøy. Sales showed strong growth in 2021 and 2023, but have been unstable since. The only operating store has a high EBITDA margin of 8%, but the industry has only 8 employees total. Entrepreneurs should consider establishing themselves in Kråkerøy and focus on developing a stable operational model. At the same time, they should be aware of the competition from the services sector, which has 160 companies and higher sales.