Health Food Stores in Lillestrøm: Industry Analysis and Outlook

Health food stores in Lillestrøm form a small but economically stable sector with two businesses: Life Skedsmo Senter and Life Strømmen. The industry has shown strong variation in sales and employees over time, with a significant increase of 98% from 2024 to 2025. EBITDA margins are at 8%, which demonstrates good operational efficiency. There are no registered bankruptcies in the industry, which indicates stability. For entrepreneurs, Lillestrøm could be an interesting place to establish themselves, especially with increasing focus on health food and local business growth.

Sales and employee development (2016–2025):

• Sales:
• 2016: NOK 7.1 million
• 2017: NOK 13.5 million (+90.7 %)
• 2019: NOK 26.1 million (+58.9 %)
• 2020: NOK 15.1 million (-42.1 %)
• 2021: NOK 7.5 million (-50.4 %)
• 2025: NOK 13.8 million (+98.0 %)

• Employees:
• 2016: 7 employees
• 2017: 9 employees (+28.6 %)
• 2018: 4 employees (-55.6 %)
• 2025: 11 employees (+83.3 %)

Key figures:

• EBITDA margin: 8 %
• Average sales per employee: NOK 1.2 million
• Highest sales: NOK 26.1 million in 2019
• Lowest sales: NOK 7.5 million in 2021

Conclusion: Sales have been volatile, but show clear growth after 2021. Employees have grown by 57% from 2016 to 2025, which indicates increasing interest in the sector.

Registered companies (2):

1. Life Skedsmo Senter (Furuholtet 1, Skedsmokorset)

• Organizational form: AS
• Founded: 14 March 2019
• Employees: 6
• Sales: NOK 7.1 million
• EBITDA: NOK 572.7 thousand
• EBITDA margin: 8 %

1. Life Strømmen (Støperiveien 5, Strømmen)

• Organizational form: AS
• Founded: 1 May 1993
• Employees: 5
• Sales: NOK 8.4 million
• EBITDA: NOK 673.7 thousand
• EBITDA margin: 8 %

Organizational form: Both companies are ASs, which indicates a standardized structure in the industry. There are no active companies in other organizational forms (e.g. sole proprietorships or property companies).

Locations in the municipality:

1. Skedsmokorset (1 company):

• Employees: 6
• Sales: NOK 7.1 million
• EBITDA: NOK 572.7 thousand
• Average sales per employee: NOK 1.2 million

1. Strømmen (1 company):

• Employees: 5
• Sales: NOK 8.4 million
• EBITDA: NOK 673.7 thousand
• Average sales per employee: NOK 1.7 million

Conclusion: Strømmen has higher sales per employee than Skedsmokorset, which may indicate efficiencies or higher customer loyalty. Both locations have stable operations with no bankruptcies.

Bankruptcy statistics:

• No bankruptcies registered in the industry in Lillestrøm from 2016 to 2025.
• Both companies (Life Skedsmo Senter and Life Strømmen) are still in operation.

Operational risk:

• Sales have been volatile, with a total decline of -50.4% from 2020 to 2021.
• Employees have grown by 57% over time, which may indicate investments in operations.

Conclusion: The industry has shown good operational resilience, but entrepreneurs should be aware of market fluctuations and competition from larger supermarkets in the area.

Outlook for Entrepreneurs

Short-term opportunities:

• Stronger sales growth from 2024 to 2025 (+98%) shows potential for growth in the health food sector.
• EBITDA margins of 8% indicate good operational efficiency.

Long-term challenges:

• Sales history shows volatility, especially during the pandemic (2020–2021).
• Competition from supermarkets and discount stores in the area may be a challenge.

Recommendation: Entrepreneurs should consider establishing themselves in Lillestrøm with a focus on differentiation (e.g. local offerings, ecological focus) and collaboration with existing companies in the industry.

Services sector in Lillestrøm (201 companies):

• Sales: NOK 3.0 billion in 2025 (a decline of 16.4% from 2024).
• Employees: 1,513 in 2026 (+3.6% from 2025).
• Key figures:
• Average sales per employee: NOK 2.0 million
• EBITDA margin: 4.3% (lower than the health food store's 8%)

Comparison with health food stores:

• Health food stores have higher EBITDA margins (8% vs. 4.3% in services).
• The services sector has more companies (201 vs. 2), but lower operational efficiency.

Peer companies (examples):

• Coop Øst Sa Avd 2211 Obs Lillestrøm (sales: NOK 365.4 million, EBITDA: NOK 14.5 million)
• Meny Skedsmo Senter (sales: NOK 134.1 million, EBITDA: NOK 5.5 million)

Conclusion: Health food stores have better operational efficiency than the average in the services sector, but must compete with larger companies in the area.

Health food stores in Lillestrøm are a small but economically stable sector with two businesses. The industry has shown strong growth after 2021 and has no bankruptcies. Entrepreneurs should consider the opportunities in Lillestrøm, especially with a focus on differentiation and collaboration with existing companies. SmartGrunder can help find suitable locations and analyze market prospects for new companies in the industry.