| Normal A/S | |
| Industry: | Retail |
| Hq Location: | Skanderborg, Denmark |
| Area Served: | Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden |
| Key People: | Steen Overholdt Hansen (CEO) Jan Dal Lehrmann (Chairman) |
| Revenue: | 2 billion DKK (2020) |
| Num Employees: | 1,972 |
Normal is a Danish bargain-priced variety store chain primarily selling shelf-stable food and personal care products by national brands. It was founded by Torben Mouritsen and Bo Kristensen in 2013 with the first store in Silkeborg, Denmark.[1] Its largest markets are Denmark, France, Norway, Finland, and Sweden.
The stores have a maze layout with a course that carries you through all their product categories, leading you to return to the checkouts at the front of the store. Mouritsen calls the chain a hybrid between a grocery store and a personal care store. However, they are not considered a supermarket.
The concept could be compared to Danish variety store chains Flying Tiger and Søstrene Grene as they also offer a large varied selection of products at affordable/competitive prices in stores with a maze layout. However, Flying Tiger has more gimmick products and private-label food/personal care items, and Søstrene Grene has a greater focus on design and lifestyle branding.
According to the founders, about 80% of customers are women.[2] During the chain's lifetime, the director of Bestseller, Anders Holch Povlsen, has invested so much in the chain that he's become the main shareholder with an ownership stake of 71.29% through his own investment company Heartland A/S.[3]
The first Normal store opened on 6 April 2013 in Silkeborg. There were 9 stores by 2015. On 10 May 2017, the chain announced that it would open its first two stores outside Denmark in Kristiansand, Norway.[4]
The company is based in Skanderborg, Denmark employing 1,972 people.[5] and operating 682 stores (June 2024)[6]
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