Norwegian chocolate is being sold abroad at dramatically lower prices than in Norway, according to a recent investigation by Nettavisen. The report highlights significant price discrepancies for popular brands like Freia, particularly in neighboring countries and international online retailers.
At the Hypermat store in Charlottenberg, Sweden, located near the Norwegian border, large quantities of Freia chocolate were found stacked on shelves. One standout product—large bars of Freia Boble weighing 190 grams and featuring promotional branding for the movie Troll 2—was priced at just 15 Swedish kronor per bar.
The investigation also found similarly low prices in the United Kingdom, where Freia chocolate was advertised at one pound per bar at a discount retailer.
These findings have raised questions about whether Norwegian consumers are paying unnecessarily high prices for chocolate and whether grocery chains are maintaining elevated margins on the product. The Competition Authority has previously identified chocolate and snacks as a particularly profitable category for retailers.
In response, major Norwegian grocery chains denied having unusually high margins on chocolate. Kiwi’s communications director, Nora Mile Helgesen, stated that the company works to preserve prices as low as possible across all product groups, including chocolate. Rema 1000 said it must adhere to the purchase prices it receives from suppliers, noting that while chocolate and snacks tend to have slightly higher average gross margins, overall grocery margins remain low and price increases have generally followed cost changes.
Line Aarnes, Rema 1000’s purchasing director, added that significant price fluctuations are common for this type of goods due to market volatility in ingredients like cocoa.
