Coop NKL
Encyclopedia
Coop NKL BA is a Norwegian
cooperative
retail
ing company. Coop NKL is owned by 177 (as of 2005) local cooperative associations in Norway and has more than one million members and who actually operate that stores. The company has its headquarters in Oslo
. Coop NKL owns 20% of the joint Nordic retail chain Coop Norden
, which owns Coop Norway which operates as wholesaler for more than 1300 Norwegian retail stores. Coop Norden is also owned by Danish
FDB and Swedish
KF, also cooperative companies.
100 and 300 (depending on which cooperative it is). The deposit, with interest
, is redeemable if the member should choose to cancel his membership. Each of the local cooperatives operates one or more stores, 1300 in total. Most of these stores belong to the Coop chains (though some stores are operated on third-party franchise
argreements). Each of the local cooperatives has a board
elected
by the members, with each member having one vote. Dividends are paid out based on a percentage of the amount purchased, not based on the capital lent. The local cooperatives own Coop NKL, who again owns 20% of Coop Norden. Coop Norden owns Coop Norge AS, which functions as a wholesaler and chain management for the stores in Norway.
, where Coop NKL still is a member. The first function of NKL was to function as wholeseller
for the co-operative stores of Norway.
In 1911 NKL acquired its first factory, the margarine
factory Margarinfabrikken Norge in Bergen
, later also purchasing margarine factories in Oslo and Bodø
. In 1914 NKL bought a tobacco
factory and in 1916 a coffee
manufacturing plant. Throughout the 1920s NKL went into production of shoe
s and flour
and in the 1930s chocolate
and light bulbs. In 1930 NKL also established its own insurance company, Samvirke Forsikring. NKL owned Tormolux started producing washing machine
s and moped
s in the 1950s and in 1976 NKL acquired Røra Fabrikker
who make jam and juice
.
On October 1, 1947 the first self serve store opened in Norway. In 1951 the law was changed, and local co-operatives were allowed to open branch stores and also sell products to non-members. The S brand was taken into use in 1967 and a year later the warehouse chain Domus
was started. The chain Obs! was started in 1975. In 1980 NKL, as the first retailer in Norway, launched non brand name products in blue and white liveries. In 1990 the chain Prix, now Coop Prix
was introduced. In 2000 NKL was rebranded to Coop and in 2002 Coop Norden was established. At the same time NKL changed its name to Coop NKL.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
ing company. Coop NKL is owned by 177 (as of 2005) local cooperative associations in Norway and has more than one million members and who actually operate that stores. The company has its headquarters in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. Coop NKL owns 20% of the joint Nordic retail chain Coop Norden
Coop Norden
Coop Norden is a joint Scandinavian holding company, formerly a retail chain. It is owned by three major cooperative retail companies; Danish FDB , Swedish KF , and Norwegian Coop NKL . As a retailer Coop Norden operated around 1,000 stores and had a yearly turnover of approximately SEK 90 billion...
, which owns Coop Norway which operates as wholesaler for more than 1300 Norwegian retail stores. Coop Norden is also owned by Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
FDB and Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
KF, also cooperative companies.
Organisation
Each of the more than one million members of Coop belongs to one or more of the 177 local cooperatives. A member must make a cash deposit of between NOKNorwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
100 and 300 (depending on which cooperative it is). The deposit, with interest
Interest
Interest is a fee paid by a borrower of assets to the owner as a form of compensation for the use of the assets. It is most commonly the price paid for the use of borrowed money, or money earned by deposited funds....
, is redeemable if the member should choose to cancel his membership. Each of the local cooperatives operates one or more stores, 1300 in total. Most of these stores belong to the Coop chains (though some stores are operated on third-party franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
argreements). Each of the local cooperatives has a board
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
elected
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
by the members, with each member having one vote. Dividends are paid out based on a percentage of the amount purchased, not based on the capital lent. The local cooperatives own Coop NKL, who again owns 20% of Coop Norden. Coop Norden owns Coop Norge AS, which functions as a wholesaler and chain management for the stores in Norway.
History
Though the first cooperative store in Norway was started in the 1850s, Norges Kooperative Landsforening (NKL) was not founded until 1906 when representatives from 28 co-operatives founded NKL on June 27. In 1907 it joined the International Co-operative AllianceInternational Co-operative Alliance
The International Co-operative Alliance is a non-governmental co-operative federation or, more precisely, a co-operative union representing co-operatives and the co-operative movement worldwide. It was founded in 1895. The ICA maintains the internationally recognised definition of a co-operative...
, where Coop NKL still is a member. The first function of NKL was to function as wholeseller
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
for the co-operative stores of Norway.
In 1911 NKL acquired its first factory, the margarine
Margarine
Margarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...
factory Margarinfabrikken Norge in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, later also purchasing margarine factories in Oslo and Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
. In 1914 NKL bought a tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
factory and in 1916 a coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
manufacturing plant. Throughout the 1920s NKL went into production of shoe
Shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
s and flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
and in the 1930s chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
and light bulbs. In 1930 NKL also established its own insurance company, Samvirke Forsikring. NKL owned Tormolux started producing washing machine
Washing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...
s and moped
Moped
Mopeds are a type of low-powered motorcycle designed to provide economical and relatively safe transport with minimal licensing requirements.Mopeds were once all equipped with bicycle-like pedals , but moped has been increasingly applied by governments to vehicles without pedals, based on their...
s in the 1950s and in 1976 NKL acquired Røra Fabrikker
Røra Fabrikker
AS Røra Fabrikker is a Norwegian company that is located in Røra in the municipality of Inderøy in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is a juice, jam, and processed agricultural product company that is a subsidiary of Coop NKL...
who make jam and juice
Juice
Juice is the liquid that is naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue.Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fruit or vegetable flesh without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree...
.
On October 1, 1947 the first self serve store opened in Norway. In 1951 the law was changed, and local co-operatives were allowed to open branch stores and also sell products to non-members. The S brand was taken into use in 1967 and a year later the warehouse chain Domus
Domus
In ancient Rome, the domus was the type of house occupied by the upper classes and some wealthy freedmen during the Republican and Imperial eras. They could be found in almost all the major cities throughout the Roman territories...
was started. The chain Obs! was started in 1975. In 1980 NKL, as the first retailer in Norway, launched non brand name products in blue and white liveries. In 1990 the chain Prix, now Coop Prix
Coop Prix
Coop Prix is a chain of 315 discount stores throughout Norway managed by Coop Norge and owned by local cooperatives. The chain was created in 1990 for the cooperatives to be able to compete with other discount stores like REMA 1000 and RIMI....
was introduced. In 2000 NKL was rebranded to Coop and in 2002 Coop Norden was established. At the same time NKL changed its name to Coop NKL.
Brands
First and foremost Coop operates food stores, but Coop also has some other store brands. Coop also has its own food brands, including X-tra and Coop.Food stores
- Coop Obs!Coop Obs!Coop Obs! is a chain of 24 hypermarkets throughout Norway managed by Coop Norge and owned by local cooperatives. Prior to 2001 the stores were only branded as Obs!....
is the largest store, hypermarketHypermarketIn commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full groceries lines and general merchandise...
, 24 in total, that offers the largest selection of products, including non-foods. The stores do not have fresh food counters. - Coop MegaCoop MegaCoop Mega is a chain of supermarket stores throughout Norway managed by Coop Norge and owned by local cooperatives....
is a large supermarketSupermarketA supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
with a large selection and a fresh food counter. - Coop PrixCoop PrixCoop Prix is a chain of 315 discount stores throughout Norway managed by Coop Norge and owned by local cooperatives. The chain was created in 1990 for the cooperatives to be able to compete with other discount stores like REMA 1000 and RIMI....
is a discount storeDiscount storeA discount store is a type of department store, which sells products at prices lower than those asked by traditional retail outlets. Most discount department stores offer a wide assortment of goods; others specialize in such merchandise as jewelry, electronic equipment, or electrical appliances...
with a smaller selection of products and with the lowest prices. - Coop MarkedCoop MarkedCoop Marked is a chain of 384 local grocery stores throughout Norway managed by Coop Norge and owned by local cooperatives. The chain represents the smallest stores in the Coop range, and is predominantly used in rural areas too small to support Coop Prix stores....
is a local store concept, used primarily in rural areas. The store has the smallest selection of products, but also carries some non-food items.
Other stores
- Coop Elektro is the electric article store chain.
- Coop Byggmix is a hardware storeHardware storeHardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
chain. - Coop Obs! Bygg is a hardware store that offers all kinds of hand-tools, electrical tools and equipment. Many of these stores have their own wood shop.
- Coop Sport is a sport store chain.
- Coop Kjøkken og Hjem offers a variety of home and kitchen products.
- Smart ClubSmart ClubSmart Club is a Norwegian retail chain with three outlets, offering the products from forty product categories. The stores have a membership programme which customers may pay 100NOK,- to gain bonuses throughout the year.-History:...
a retail chain
Product brands
- Coop is a high quality brand with lower prices than branded products.
- X-traX-traX-tra is a private label brand used by Coop Norden on their low-price produce. The products offered with the brand cover a wide range of products, including but not limited to canned food, coffee, cereal, juice, jam, light bulbs, cooking oil, shampoo, pasta, eggs and meat. The products are produced...
is a popular low-cost brand. Products like soft drinks, juice, bread, jam, cheese, potato chips and etc. - KellenKellenKellan or Kellen is a Celtic or Gaelic Irish masculine given name and a surname meaning "slender" or "powerful". Other variations of Kellan or Kellen includes Kaelan, Kallen, Keelan, Keilan, Keillan, Kelan, Kelden, Kelle, Kellyn, and Kellin.- People :...
is Coop's own high quality, low-cost hardware brand. Kellen also features a five year guarantee on its power tools. The quality of Kellen's power tools can be compared to the power tools of the well known brands Black & DeckerBlack & DeckerBlack & Decker Corporation is a corporation based in Towson, Maryland, United States, that designs and imports power tools and accessories, hardware and home improvement products, and technology based fastening systems...
or DeWaltDeWALTDeWalt is a worldwide brand of power tools for the construction, manufacturing and woodworking industries. It is a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.- History :...
. - Coop Änglamark is a brand of organic foodOrganic foodOrganic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
. - Coop KaffeCoop KaffeCoop Kaffe is a coffee brand produced by Coop NKL, the Norwegian cooperative grocery chain. It is produced by the company Coop Kaffe AS, a subsidiary of Coop Industrier. The brand is exclusively distributed throughout the Coop chains in Norway...
has since 1954 been Coop's coffeeCoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
brand, offering the largest selection of coffee in Norway. - Goman is a bakeryBakeryA bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
product brand owned by Coop. - RøraRøra FabrikkerAS Røra Fabrikker is a Norwegian company that is located in Røra in the municipality of Inderøy in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is a juice, jam, and processed agricultural product company that is a subsidiary of Coop NKL...
offeres jam and juiceJuiceJuice is the liquid that is naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue.Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fruit or vegetable flesh without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree...
of various types.