Products sold under the same chains in Estonia and Western Europe are not always identical, with differences driven by regulations, tastes and purchasing power.
Denmark’s Salling Group, which recently acquired Estonia’s Rimi supermarkets, says its Estonian and Danish products are one and the same.
On the other hand Estonian chain Coop, which this year acquired the Prisma supermarket outlets, acknowledges some differences in quality and ingredients between Estonia and the Nordics.
The two chains “Aktuaalne kaamera” spoke to describe the situation differently. Salling is bringing its own-brand products to Rimi shelves in Estonia.
“There will be some Danish products that will be introduced in that sense, but what is important for us is that we find Estonian taste; food retail is very local, and we don’t think we can convince Estonians to eat something which is traditionally very Danish, so most of the products you will find even under the Salling brand will be something that is hopefully well known already to Estonian customers.,” Salling Group CEO Anders Hagh told “Aktuaalne kaamera”.
Hagh added the products they sell in Estonia and Denmark are exactly the same. “It’s the same products, and that’s why many of the products will also carry Danish language on the front it’s the exact same products we sell across all the six countries. But again, some local tastes are different, and we will only introduce products in Estonia that we are quite confident customers here will enjoy.”
Meanwhile Coop, which acquired Prisma Peremarket in the spring, has begun gradually switching over store signage. Late on Monday evening, the Kristiine keskus mall’s Prisma became a Coop. Company head Rainer Rohtla confirmed that the Prisma range will remain under the Coop brand, with Coop’s own products being added. There is, however, some difference between goods sold in Estonia and the Nordics.
“There are certainly products sold in the Nordic countries that will also be available in Prisma and Coop stores. There are certain differences in quality and ingredients, because in the Nordic countries there are stricter conditions on what may be added to some product groups,” Rohtla noted.
Customer taste preferences and purchasing power also drive the differences between the same chain’s stores in different countries, primarily determining the salt, sugar and fat content of food.
“Meat in Estonia is probably a bit fattier than it is in Germany. Part of that is people’s preference and habits, but the other part is that fat content can be played with toward a cheaper product. The same goes for salt — it’s possible to make a product keep longer, and the same with sugar — it keeps the product for longer, which means it can be offered more cheaply,” said Luminor bank’s chief economist Lenno Uusküla.
A preference for healthier and organic food in Estonia grew until 2022, when the effects of soaring inflation
“Domestic products, organic products, which were more expensive but healthier, were bought more. When high inflation came and people’s purchasing power fell, purchases of those products declined in Estonia. Now the market has quietly stabilized and supermarket sales volumes are growing again. Against that background, it can be expected that the share of healthy products will start to grow again,” Uusküla said.
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Source:
‘Aktuaalne kaamera,’ reporter Mart Linnart.