China/Glassware Store Industry in Tønsberg: A Comprehensive Analysis

Industry Overview

The china/glassware store industry in Tønsberg is a small but active sector with 8 registered companies. In recent years, the industry has been marked by a sharp decline in both sales and number of employees, with particularly dramatic drops in 2023 and 2024. Although there are some stable companies, such as Kitch'n Tønsberg and Farmann Glass As, data shows that the industry has been in a declining trend since 2016. There are no bankrupt companies in the industry, but several have negative EBITDA values, indicating economic challenges for some businesses.

Sales and Employees:

• Sales: The industry peaked in 2020 with NOK 96.1 million, but fell to NOK 26.8 million in 2025. The most significant decline occurred between 2022 and 2023 (68.6%).
• Employees: The number of employees has fallen from 121 in 2016 to 26 in 2025, with a sharp decline of 38.5% between 2023 and 2024.

Margins and Operating Profit:

• The two most significant companies (Kitch'n Tønsberg and As Christiania Glasmagasin Avd Tønsberg) have EBITDA margins of 7% and -10% respectively. This shows that some businesses have very high operating costs relative to revenue.
• Tolvsrød has one company (Dm Holding As) with 100% gross margin, but low sales (NOK 436,000).

Registered Companies (8 total):

• Kitch'n Tønsberg (AS, 12 employees, NOK 19.6M sales, EBITDA NOK 1.6M)
• As Christiania Glasmagasin Avd Tønsberg (AS, 8 employees, NOK 5.8M sales, EBITDA NOK -619,300)
• Farmann Glass As (AS, 7 employees, NOK 8.9M sales, EBITDA NOK 371,000)
• Kjøkkentid As (AS, 4 employees, NOK 3.9M sales, EBITDA NOK -297,000)
• Dm Holding As (AS, 1 employee, NOK 436,000 sales, EBITDA NOK 46,000)
• Cicilie Vik (ENK, 0 employees, 0 sales)
• Tw Vigdis Borge Vinterbo (two ENK companies, 0 employees and 0 sales)

Organizational Forms:

• 5 of the 8 companies are ASs, while 3 are ENKs. ASs have higher operating profits and more employees, but ENKs have no activity in the data.

Tønsberg (4 companies):

• Total: 31 employees, NOK 38.2M sales, NOK 645.7M gross profit, NOK 1.0M EBITDA.
• Kitch'n Tønsberg and Farmann Glass As are the most significant companies here.

Tolvsrød (1 company):

• Dm Holding As has low sales (NOK 436,000) but a high gross margin (100%). This may indicate a specialized business with low volume but high prices.

Conclusion: Tønsberg is the main hub for the industry, with more than double the number of companies compared to Tolvsrød. However, there is significant variation in the scale and financial health of the businesses.

Bankruptcies:

• None of the 8 companies in the industry are registered as bankrupt, indicating a certain level of stability.

Economic Challenges:

• As Christiania Glasmagasin Avd Tønsberg and Kjøkkentid As have negative EBITDA values, which may indicate economic challenges.
• Kjøkkentid As had 20% sales growth in 2024, but EBITDA remained negative. This may be due to high operating costs or low sales.

Stability:

• Kitch'n Tønsberg has higher sales (NOK 19.6M) and positive EBITDA (NOK 1.6M), indicating a more stable business.

Short-Term Challenges:

• The industry has been in a sharp decline since 2020, with particularly large drops in 2023 and 2024. This may be a result of economic pressure, competitiveness, or changes in customer needs.

Long-Term Opportunities:

• It may be possible to find a place in the industry by focusing on specialized market segments, such as high quality or unique products. Tønsberg's geographic location as an important city in Vestfold may also be an advantage.

Recommendation:

• Founders should consider establishing themselves in Tønsberg, where there are more companies and better infrastructure. It may be an advantage to collaborate with existing companies to share resources and market understanding.

Conference Center Sector in Tønsberg:

• Has 104 companies, showing that this is a much larger and more stable sector compared to the china/glassware store industry.
• Sales: Increasing from NOK 1.15M in 2016 to NOK 1.40M in 2021, with a decline of 16.6% in 2025.
• Employees: Reduced from 669 in 2016 to 541 in 2026, but with less dramatic fluctuations than the china/glassware store industry.

Peer Companies in the Conference Center Sector:

• Skeidar Tønsberg As (furniture store, NOK 60.8M sales, NOK 7.4M EBITDA)
• Coop Sørøst Sa 3588 Obs Bygg Tønsberg (building materials store, NOK 149.5M sales, NOK 6.9M EBITDA)
• Jysk Tønsberg Avd 559 (furniture store, NOK 53.5M sales, NOK 5.8M EBITDA)

Conclusion: The conference center sector has higher volume, more stable sales, and better EBITDA margins compared to the china/glassware store industry. This may indicate that the conference center sector has better market understanding and economic stability.

The china/glassware store industry in Tønsberg is a small but active sector with both opportunities and challenges. Although there has been a sharp decline in sales and number of employees in recent years, it is still possible to find a place in the industry by focusing on specialized market segments. Tønsberg's geographic location and infrastructure can be an advantage for new companies. SmartGrunder can help founders find suitable addresses and develop strategies to succeed in this industry.