Health Food Stores in Oslo: Current Status and Future Prospects

Health food stores in Oslo constitute a stable and growth-oriented part of the municipality's economy. With 17 registered companies and 142 employees, data shows an average annual revenue of 130.8 million NOK and an EBITDA of 10.1 million NOK. The industry has proven to be resilient over time, with an average EBITDA margin of 7% and a high gross profit margin of 1805%. This indicates good cost control and a strong market for health food products in Oslo.

Economic Trends

Sales and Employees:

• Sales: From 2016 to 2025, sales grew from 152.8 million NOK to 125.4 million NOK, with an average annual growth of 3.5% over the last five years.
• Employees: The number of employees has varied between 83 and 136 over time, stabilizing at 112 employees in 2025. There is a positive trend in recent years, with an increase of 18.8% from 2025 to 2026.

Financial Indicators:

• EBITDA: The industry has an average EBITDA of 10.1 million NOK, with a margin of 7%.
• Gross Profit: An extraordinary high gross profit margin of 1805% shows that health food stores operate with low variable costs and high product prices.

Conclusion: The industry has proven to be stable and profitable, with good financial health and positive development in recent years.

Key Players in the Industry

Oslo has 17 registered companies within health food stores, all organized as AS. The most well-known companies include:

• Life Foodstore Grunerløkka (Hausmannsgate 10): 15 employees, 13.4 million NOK in sales, 1.1 million NOK in EBITDA.
• Life Majorstuen As (Valkyriegata 11A): 15 employees, 17.2 million NOK in sales, 1.3 million NOK in EBITDA.
• Sunkost Butikk As (Tvetenveien 150): 6 employees, 5.7 million NOK in sales, 269.4 thousand NOK in EBITDA.

Organizational Forms: All companies are organized as AS, which indicates a standardized structure in the industry. This can be an advantage for company management and tax optimization.

Geographic Distribution

All 17 companies in the industry are registered in Oslo, but distributed across different areas:

• Grunerløkka: 1 company (Life Foodstore Grunerløkka)
• Majorstua: 1 company (Life Majorstuen As)
• Byporten: 1 company (Life Byporten Shopping)
• Hovedkontor: 1 company (Life Hovedkontor)
• Linderud: 1 company (Life Linderud Senter)
• Grorud: 1 company (Life Grorud)
• Bøler: 1 company (Life Bøler)
• Oslo City: 1 company (Life Oslo City)
• Ullevaal: 1 company (Life Ullevaal)
• Storo: 1 company (Life Storo)
• Sandaker: 1 company (Life Sandaker Senter)
• Stovner: 1 company (Life Stovner Senter)
• Tveita: 1 company (Sunkost Butikk As Tveita)
• Manglerud: 1 company (Sunkost Butikk As Manglerud Senter)
• Stortorvet: 1 company (Sunkost Glasmagasinet)
• Vitaminveien: 2 companies (Life Storo and Stig A Dalen As)

Conclusion: The industry is well distributed across Oslo, with sufficient access to customers in different parts of the city.

Business Dynamics and Competitiveness

Bankruptcies: No bankruptcies are registered among health food stores in Oslo, which shows a stable industry with good financial health.

Different Companies: Some companies have lower sales and EBITDA than others, for example:

• Stig A Dalen As Sunkost Vitaminveien (Vitaminveien 7): 4 employees, 0 sales, 0 EBITDA.

Conclusion: Even though there are some companies with lower income, the industry is generally stable. This indicates that it is possible to establish oneself in Oslo, but it is important to have a good business plan and cost control.

Future Perspectives for Entrepreneurs

Growth Potential: The industry has proven to be stable and growth-oriented, with positive development in recent years. This indicates that it is possible to establish oneself in Oslo, especially with a high EBITDA margin of 7% and a high gross profit margin of 1805%.

Competitiveness: With 17 companies in the industry, the competition is strong. It is important to differentiate oneself through quality, price, or service.

Conclusion: Oslo is a good place to start a health food store, but it is important to have a good business plan and cost control. SmartGrunder can help entrepreneurs find good locations in Oslo for this industry.

Comparison with the Services Sector

Services Sector has a much larger scope, with 1817 companies in Oslo compared to 20 companies in health food stores. Sales in the services sector have grown from 21.1 billion NOK in 2016 to 26.4 billion NOK in 2025, with an average annual growth of 2.2%.

Competitiveness: The services sector has a lower EBITDA margin (7% for health food stores vs. 7.6% for the services sector). This indicates that the services sector has higher costs, but also higher revenue.

Peer Companies: Some of the most well-known companies in the services sector include:

• Eqology.no As (Mustads vei 1A): 14 employees, 1613.8 million NOK in sales, 356.0 million NOK in EBITDA.
• Cheffelo Norway As (Tordenskiolds gate 8): 198 employees, 662.9 million NOK in sales, 51.4 million NOK in EBITDA.

Conclusion: The services sector has a much larger scope, but health food stores have a better EBITDA margin. This indicates that health food stores can be a good alternative for entrepreneurs in Oslo.

Health food stores in Oslo are a stable and growth-oriented industry with good economic results. With 17 companies and 142 employees, data shows an average annual revenue of 130.8 million NOK and an EBITDA of 10.1 million NOK. The industry has proven to be resilient over time, with an average EBITDA margin of 7% and a high gross profit margin of 1805%.

Conclusion: Oslo is a good place to start a health food store, but it is important to have a good business plan and cost control. SmartGrunder can help entrepreneurs find good locations in Oslo for this industry.