The Health Food Store Industry in Øygarden: Current Status and Future Prospects

The health food store industry in Øygarden is a small but dynamic sector with a unique combination of stability and uncertainty. The only registered company, Life Sartor Senter, has been a central player since 1997, but data show significant variations in sales and number of employees over time. The industry has experienced both sharp increases and declines, particularly between 2016–2024, indicating a sector sensitive to external factors. This makes Øygarden an interesting but challenging market for entrepreneurs looking to establish themselves in the sector.

Economic data for the health food store industry in Øygarden show highly unstable development. Sales figures have varied significantly, with an extreme increase from 2016 to 2017 (+1686.5%), followed by a drastic decline in 2019 (0 NOK) and a rise again in 2021 (4.7 M NOK). The number of employees has been even more volatile, peaking at 5 in 2017 and dropping to 0 in 2024. This shows that the sector is highly sensitive to market conditions and can be challenging to predict.

There is only one company in the health food store industry in Øygarden: Life Sartor Senter, registered at Sartorvegen 12 in Straume. The company is a limited liability company (AS) with 5 employees and was established in 1997. No bankruptcies have been registered in the company's history. Data show that the company has maintained a stable existence, even though sales and employees have varied significantly over time. There are no other companies in the sector in the municipality, highlighting the small scale and potential risk of dependency on a single actor.

All businesses in the health food store industry in Øygarden are located in Straume. No activity is registered in other neighborhoods in the municipality. This shows a concentration of activity in a single neighborhood, which can be both an advantage (concentration of customers and suppliers) and a disadvantage (dependency on a single market niche).

The sector has been marked by significant variations in both sales and number of employees, but no bankruptcies have been registered for companies in the sector. Life Sartor Senter is still in operation, despite uncertain sales and employee numbers. This suggests that the sector has a certain level of stability, but there are also signs that it may be sensitive to external conditions such as economic downturns or changes in customer needs.

For entrepreneurs considering establishing themselves in the health food store industry in Øygarden, it is important to be aware of the sector's uncertainty. Although there is an existing company, Life Sartor Senter, it may be challenging to compete in a market niche of such small scale. A possible strategy could be to focus on specialized products or services that differentiate from the existing actor. It may also be profitable to explore collaborations or partnerships with local suppliers or customers to build a stable business model.

Compared to the broader services sector in Øygarden, which has 70 companies, the health food store industry is a small sub-sector. The broader sector has shown more stable development in sales and number of employees, with an increase in 2020 and a decline in 2025. Current peer companies in the services sector include large hypermarkets such as Obs Hypermarked Sartor and Aksklo As, which have higher sales and more employees. This shows that the health food store industry has a smaller market share and may be less competitive compared to larger service sectors in the municipality.

The health food store industry in Øygarden is a small but potentially interesting sector for entrepreneurs. With one existing company and a history marked by variations in sales and employees, it is important to be realistic about the challenges. At the same time, there may be opportunities to establish oneself in a market niche with a certain level of stability. SmartGrunder can help entrepreneurs explore possible addresses and business models in the municipality that fit the health food store industry.