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Norway’s leading retailer of surplus food items

Holdbart at a glance

Holdbart is Norway’s leading retailer of surplus food items, saving excess products which 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, offered at an up to 90% discount compared to their original prices.

Year acquired
2021
Revenue
EUR 72m
Location
Norway
Employees
397
Investment theme
Sustainable Food
SDG alignment

1,2,12

What are the challenges Holdbart addresses

  • 450k

    tonnes of food wasted in Norway in 2021

  • 1.3m

    of CO2e emissions from food waste in Norway in 2021

How does Holdbart help?

  • Reality today

    Our food value chain is inefficient, with unnecessary waste from surplus food products due to overproduction, seasonal products, campaigns, and faulty items.

  • Holdbart approach

    Holdbart purchases surplus food items and through its physical retail stores ensures access to affordable food items that would otherwise go to waste.

  • Aspirational future

    A less wasteful, more circular food system that supports access to affordable food.

  • Who is impacted?

    Producers, importers, and wholesalers gain a practical distribution channel for food that otherwise would have been wasted. Consumers across regions in Norway, including lower-income individuals and families, get a more affordable and sustainable shopping basket.

  • Contribution

    Holdbart contributes to significant decrease of food waste by selling food and retail products that would otherwise go to waste.

  • Risks to impact

    Holdbart has limited control of the operations of its suppliers, as well as consumers’ use of the products it sells and product end-of-life.

KPI reporting

Tons of food saved

Target 2027: 25,000 tonnes

Change from '23-'24: -9%

2024
13,746
2023
15,094
2022
11,292

Measures the quantity of food that has been diverted from waste and saved for consumption or use.

Potentially avoided emissions (tCO2e) from food saved

Target 2027: 70,000 tCO2e

Change from '23-'24: -9%

2024
37,117
2023
40,754
2022
30,487

Measures the environmental impact of reducing food waste, specifically in terms of emissions.

Number of shopping carts

Target 2024: 2,900,000

Change from '23-'24: +18%

2024
3m
2023
2m
2022
2m

Represents the environmental, social, and economic benefits from purchasing products from a surplus food retailer such as Holdbart.