
Holdbart

Company details
Year Aquired
2021
Location
Norway
Revenue (2021)
338 mSEK
Sector
Food Retail / Food Surplus
Employees
91
Investment Themes
Resource Efficiency
Contact
If you want to know more about Holdbart please contact Hannah Gunvor Jacobsen at: hannah.jacobsen@summaequity.com
Website

Holdbart at a glance
Holdbart is Norway’s leading retailer of surplus food items, saving excess products that suppliers are unable to sell to conventional grocery chains and retail outlets. Products that are discontinued, overstocked, nearing their expiry date or have old or faulty labels can be sold in Holdbart’s physical stores or on their website. These products are offered at a 20 – 90% discount compared to their original prices. This offers a sustainable solution for end-customers, as well as suppliers who would otherwise have to dispose of excess and/or expired produce.
Recent developments
During 2021, Holdbart opened two new stores in Norway, Hamar and Tønsberg – and saw an increase in sales of c.4%. Furthermore, the company strengthened the organization with several new key personnel, including CFO, Head of Store Operations and Head of Logistics; as well as the board through the addition of industry veterans with strong operational and leadership experience. Going into 2022, the company currently sees continued growth supported by a strong pipeline of new store locations, revamped marketing drives and multiple other operational initiatives.
Impact dimensions
The challenges we face
Food waste is a significant and growing global issue. In Norway alone we wasted 400 000 tons of food in 2020, representing 1.3m tons of CO2e1. Globally, food waste represents 8-10% of global GHG emissions.
What is the outcome
Holdbart provides a distribution outlet for products which otherwise would have been wasted, allowing for more efficient use and distribution of food which is already produced and ready for human consumption.
Who are the stakeholders
Key stakeholders are end-consumers, who get a more affordable shopping basket while helping reduce food waste. Suppliers get a practical distribution channel, while reducing waste and economic loss.
How big is the effect, and does it last?
In 2021, Holdbart saved ~7 100 tons of food waste, implying ~20k tons of CO2e saved. Furthermore, it conducted ~1.5M transactions, supporting families, students, and other consumers in reducing their spending levels on groceries. Holdbart itself had internal waste levels of only ~0.5% during the same period.
If Holdbart didn’t exist…
Without Holdbart, a significant amount of food and retail products would go to waste which otherwise could have been sold to the consumer. As a result, individuals and families would spend significantly more on their regular grocery shopping.
The challenges we face
Through its website, Holdbart manages personal data and contact details which must be safeguarded. Additionally, store employees engage in physical work and heavy lifting in the warehouse. To mitigate this, Holdbart continues keeping a strong focus on HSEQ routines and guidelines. Lastly, Holdbart does operate multiple physical stores with a respective carbon footprint but are deliberate in minimizing their environmental impact.
Year Aquired
2021
Revenue (2021)
338 mSEK
Employees
91
Investment Themes
Resource Efficiency
Sector
Food Retail / Food Surplus
Location
Norway
Contact
If you want to know more about Holdbart please contact Hannah Gunvor Jacobsen at: hannah.jacobsen@summaequity.com