Are you aware of the major food chains in Sweden? We list information about these and which ones have the best prices.
The Major Food Chains and Market Share
Ica, Axfood, and Coop together account for around 90% of sales.
- ICA: 50.5%
- Axfood (Willys, Hemköp, Eurocash): 21.2%
- Coop: 17.2%
- Lidl: 6.1%
- City Gross (now Axfood): 4%
- Others: 1%
General Price Development
According to Matpriskollen, prices have now stabilized after rising many months since inflation started in 2022. Prices for 40,000 tracked food items remained unchanged in May and June 2024.
Food Stores with the Best Prices
Here, we list store chains and what you can expect for price levels. Willys will serve as a benchmark for the chains to be measured against. From cheapest to the most expensive.
- ÖoB, Rusta, and Dollarstore: The limited selection of food items they have is often the cheapest, so you can find the best deals here.
- Lidl: Has the narrowest product range, around 3,000-5,000 products, and has around 80% of its own brands that are missing in other stores. Generally, it is the cheapest of the larger chains.
- Willys: Better product range than Lidl, but fewer products than, for example, ICA, with around 5,000-12,000 products, and cheaper than the other major chains.
- Hemköp: Good product range, 10,000-15,000 products. About 13% more expensive than Willys.
- ICA: Good product range, 10,000-15,000 products (ICA Supermarket, ICA Kvantum), 12,000-20,000 products (ICA Maxi). Very large price variations between stores, with an average of 13% more expensive than Willys.
- Coop: Good product range, 10,000-15,000 products (Coop), 12,000-20,000 products (Stora Coop). Large price variations between stores, with smaller Coop stores having 14-25% higher prices than Willys.
So, there you have some tips on which store is best for the price-conscious consumer.
Source Axfood, Matpriskollen
