Grocery Shopping in Denmark

Imagine you arrive in Denmark after many hours of travelling, you unpack your bags at your new accommodation, and head out to find a grocery shop so you can stock up the empty fridge. You see a shop called Netto, that looks a lot like a grocery shop. Perfect. But as you walk towards it you realise there is also a shop called Rema, and next to Rema is a shop called Lidl, and further down the road is a shop called Føtex, and they also sell groceries at the 7Eleven you just passed.

In Denmark there are almost 20 different kinds of grocery shops. That can seem quite overwhelming if you arrive from a country where you are used to only a few large supermarket chains. While the shops here are many, their grocery selection are quite similar. If you’re looking for a specific herb for your Asian cuisine, a Middle Eastern spice, or a large variety of legumes, then you will need to visit a speciality store.

In this article, we dig into grocery shopping in Denmark to help you make sense of the many grocery shops, their selections, and their prices.

The (many) different grocery shops

The grocery sector in Denmark consists of five main retail groups: Salling Group and Coop (Danish-owned and the most prominent), followed by the Danish/Norwegian owned Dagrofa. Reitan Group owns Rema1000, and Lidl is owned by the German Group Lidl Stiftung.

Each group operates a range of supermarket chains, from budget-friendly to more premium options.

Discount Shops

Many people choose to shop their basic grocery needs at discount shops and then use the more expensive supermarkets to buy fruit, meat, vegetables or other specific products.

The lower priced supermarkets are Rema1000, Lidl, Netto, 365discount, and Fakta, with Rema and Lidl said to offer the cheapest options.

Some of the grocery shops have their own brand of basic goods, which provide customers with a low-price option when it comes to basic household and food items. The Salling stores call their line Princip, Coop calls it Coop or änglamark, and Rema1000 sells its own Rema1000 brand, which include their own organic line, Gram Slot.    

Shopping at discount shops may require a bit of deep breathing before you enter the shop, as some of them may seem difficult to navigate. Many of the shops, Netto in particular, have sections with ‘spot deals’, where you can find everything from tinned tuna to children’s toys and breakfast cereal. These items are usually not be part of their standard range and are therefore only sold in the shop for a limited time.

The Mid-to-High Range Supermarkets

The mid-to-high range supermarkets include Føtex, Meny, Bilka, Salling Super, Superbrugsen, and Kvickly. These shops are often bigger and have more variety of goods. Salling Super (located under the Salling shopping mall) sell a range of fine foods not found at many of the other grocery shops.

Bilka is the biggest supermarket and the closest you get to a hypermarket in Denmark. Here you can find everything from garden tools and bikes to chicken wings and cosmetics. In Aarhus there is only one Bilka and it is located in Tilst.   

Speciality Shops

For those missing exotic flavours, Asian delicacies, or African specialities, you may need to track down your local specialty shop. They can be found in most cities or larger towns, and there’s a few of these around Aarhus too.

Moreover, in Aarhus there is a large marketplace called Bazaar Vest located in Brabrand. Visiting Bazaar Vest is an experience on its own. The large food mecca is a whirlwind of culture, scents, spices, and tastes. Besides an abundance of vegetables, fruit, and speciality products there are also bakeries and cafes.    

How Do Danes Shop?

Most Danes have a favourite grocery store or supermarket chain—one that carries their preferred foods, and household items. But unlike in some countries, it’s quite normal for shoppers in Denmark not to find everything needed in one place. Many Danes are used to visiting more than one shop to complete the weekly grocery run.

Therefore, Danes also tend to shop more than once a week. It’s not just about convenience—though having shops nearby helps. It’s also about fresh ingredients, limited fridge space, and, most importantly, the love of a good bargain. Many Danes study the tilbudsavis (weekly grocery flyers) like it’s the bible carefully scanning for deals. And yes, they’ll happily bike an extra kilometre or two if it means saving a few kroner on butter or bananas.

Online shopping is also a popular way of getting the weekly shopping done. When shopping online, customers can either choose to have your groceries delivered or pick them up when packed and ready. Check out some of the online shopping apps and websites here

Payment options

Most Danes use debit or credit cards when paying for groceries. MobilePay is also widely used and accepted in nearly all supermarkets. Cash is accepted but rarely used since not many Danes carry cash anymore. 

You may have noticed too, that some shops have a ‘scan as you go’ solution. This allows the customer to jump the queue by scanning and packing the groceries as they are pulled off the shelve and pay via a QR code as they leave the shop.

While not a complete payment option, many Danish supermarkets offer apps and membership clubs that unlock special discounts—sometimes even personalized offers. Some apps let you earn points as you shop, which you can later use for discounts. Others offer member-only deals that aren’t available in-store. If you’re a regular shopper, joining can really pay off.

The Danish bottle deposit return system

Most bottles are part of a ‘pant’ deposit refund system. When you buy a drink in a bottle or can you’re charged a surcharge, which you get back when you return the bottle or can to the ‘flaskeautomat’ (reverse vending machine). The machine scans the bottle, calculates the deposit refund (pant), and prints a receipt with a barcode, which you can use to pay for your groceries at the checkout. You can read more about the bottle deposit return system here.

Good To Know

• Most shops are open from 7:00 to around 21:00-22:00.
• The cashier always asks you if you would like your receipt printed after you’ve paid. They will either ask if you want your ‘bon’ or a ‘kvittering’ (basically the same thing).
• Many larger Danish supermarkets partner with Too Good To Go to reduce food waste by selling surplus items at the end of the day. Through the Too Good To Go app, you can buy a bag filled with unsold groceries—often including bread, fruit, dairy, or ready-made meals—for a fraction of the original price.

Finally, it is not just finding your way around the shop that can be difficult, it is also understanding the labels on grocery items. Perhaps you’ve experienced buying turkey instead of chicken or pouring buttermilk in your tea instead of normal milk. We get it. So, we have created a handy little Danish-English grocery dictionary, which lists the most common groceries and explains some of the labels you may see on products. 

Happy shopping 😊

We look forward to seeing you around!