Norwegian Coop members are facing a significant disparity in financial benefits, with returns varying widely based on location. An internal review by Nettavisen reveals customers in Northern, Central Norway, and Rogaland receive substantially higher purchase dividends – potentially thousands of kroner annually – than those in eastern and southern regions. The discrepancy has sparked criticism, with some economists questioning the fairness of the system and calling for uniform benefits across the country.
Nearly 2.7 million Norwegians are members of the Coop cooperative, but the financial benefits of membership vary significantly depending on location.
Residents of Northern, Central Norway, and Rogaland regions see considerably greater returns on their membership than those in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
These differences can amount to several thousand kroner annually.
“It’s Insane”
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An internal review obtained by Nettavisen reveals that customers in Northern Norway, Central Norway, and Rogaland receive substantially more favorable returns than customers in the densely populated areas of eastern and southern Norway.
For many families, these discrepancies can translate to savings of several thousand kroner per year.
“It’s insane. It’s the same stores with the same products, but customers are being treated differently,” said Kornelia Minsaas, a consumer economist at Lendo, to Nettavisen. “Consumers in the south and east should receive the same customer benefits as those in the north.”
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“This is very interesting. It’s strange that there are such large differences,” said Hallgeir Kvadsheim, host of the financial makeover show “Luksusfellen.”
“The chains generally have the same prices throughout the country, with the exception of fruits and vegetables. But I’m not sure if that alone can explain the large difference in purchase dividends,” he told Nettavisen.
SURPRISING: Consumer economist Hallgeir Kvadsheim, an expert and host of
“Luksusfellen,” finds it difficult to understand the disparity in Coop
customer purchase dividends.
Photo: Martin Habbestad (Nettavisen)
Five Times Better in the North
Coop is comprised of 57 different cooperative societies spread across the
country.
As of January 1st, customers of Coop Nord receive a full 5% in purchase
dividends. This means that for every 100 kroner spent this year, customers
will receive 5 kroner back as a dividend next year.
This significantly outpaces the standard dividend rate received by most
Coop members, which is typically 1%.
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“This is incredibly interesting. It’s odd that there are such large
differences,” said Kvadsheim.
The dividend rate you receive is determined by two factors: the cooperative
society you are a member of, and where in the country you shop.
To receive the 5% dividend from Coop Nord, you must be a member of that
society and shop at one of their approximately 70 stores.
For a family, the differences can quickly add up to a substantial amount of
money. Spending 100,000 kroner annually at Coop Nord yields a 5,000 kroner
dividend the following year.
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Spending the same amount in Oslo, Drammen, or Sandefjord yields only 1,000
kroner, even with the same level of spending.
“I simply wasn’t aware of this. These are huge differences, and for many,
this could easily amount to significant sums,” said consumer economist
Minsaas.
SHOULD BE EQUAL: Consumer economist Kornelia Minsaas believes Coop
customers should receive the same dividends nationwide.
Photo: Erik Molland (Nettavisen)
How Coop Territories Are Divided
The overview provided by Nettavisen shows how many Coop customers benefit
from the best terms.
Only two societies offer 5% dividends: Coop Nord and the smaller Coop
Havøysund. The latter has two stores and just under 2,000 members. Coop
Nord has 144,000 members.
Three societies offer 4% purchase dividends: Coop Finnmark, Coop
Svalbard, and Madla Handelslag. Together, these have just over 80,000
members.
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Six societies offer 3% in purchase dividends. Collectively, these
have nearly 360,000 members, the majority of whom are in Coop Midt-Norge.
See detailed overview below
17 societies with 678,000 members have 2% dividends. One society
has 1.5%.
Seven Coop societies have
21 societies have the standard dividend rate of 1%. This includes
1.47 million Coop members, representing 54% of the Coop membership.
The largest societies are Coop Øst, Coop Hordaland, Coop Sørøst, and Coop
Innlandet.
“Different Financial Results”
Coop explains the large differences in purchase dividends as follows:
“The cooperative societies pay the purchase dividends, and the cooperative
societies are separate legal entities. Therefore, the board of each
cooperative society decides the size of the purchase dividend based on the
society’s financial situation,” said Coop Communications Director Harald
Kristiansen to Nettavisen.
In other words, each of the 57 cooperative societies determines the dividend
for its members.
“As a result of different financial results, the purchase dividend will
naturally vary between different cooperative societies in the same way as in
other companies with independent financial responsibility,” said
Kristiansen.
Is food cheapest in the north?
“Both Coop Finnmark, Coop Svalbard, and Madla Handelslag operate with a 4%
purchase dividend, and Coop Nord has decided to increase its purchase
dividend to 5% in 2026,” said Kristiansen.
Coop Nesna is increasing its dividend from 1% to 3%. Coop Olderdalen is
increasing from 2% to 3%. However, Coop Dønns is seeing a decrease, from
1.5% to 1%.
Should Be Equal
“I hope that the other Coop societies will follow suit and increase their
purchase dividends to 5% as well,” said Minsaas.
“We know that grocery chains have earned well in years with large price
increases. Coop should not make money for rich owners, and I also think the
Coop societies in the south and east should be able to improve purchase
dividends as they manage to do in the north.”
Should Coop customers receive the same percentage everywhere?
“That would clearly be an advantage for us consumers,” she said.
See detailed overview below: How much you get where you live
She believes that higher Coop dividends could be profitable for Coop and
attract more customers.
“We know that food prices are something people are very concerned about. So,
if Coop wants to attract more loyal customers in Eastern Norway, they should
definitely be inspired by those in the north.”
Coop Rejects Unequal Treatment
“It is absolutely correct what Kornelia says: Coop should not make money for
rich owners. Everything goes back to the members – but how this is done is
democratically decided by the members in each individual society,” said Coop
Communications Director Harald Kristiansen.
“Unlike our competitors, Coop is organized very differently,” he said.
He pointed out that Coop consists of 57 independent cooperative societies,
and the boards of these societies are comprised of directors elected by the
members, i.e., the customers and employees.
“This means that it is the members locally who decide how the surplus is
used, based on the economy and needs in their society.”
“Some cooperative societies have the opportunity to increase purchase
dividends, as we see in the north. Others prioritize a lower dividend
percentage in order to prioritize investments in stores, upgrades, or local
operations to have the most attractive stores for members.”
He rejects the notion of unequal treatment.
“The variations are therefore not about unequal treatment, but about the
fact that the Coop model is democratic and locally anchored. The values are
created and shared locally,” said Kristiansen.
