Normal (store)
 | |
 Normal store in Ribe, Denmark | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | April 2013 |
| Founders | Torben Østergaard Mouritsen Bo Evald Kristensen |
| Headquarters | Skanderborg, Denmark |
Number of locations | 1,095 (August 2026)[1] |
Area served |
|
| Key people | Jakob Frølich Maarbjerg (CEO) Torben Østergaard Mouritsen (Chairman)[2] |
| Revenue | DKK 15.2 billion (2024/25)[3] |
| DKK 897 million (2024/25)[3] | |
| Owner | Anders Holch Povlsen (c. 67%)[3] |
Number of employees | 8,376 (average, 2024/25)[3] |
| Website | normalstores |
Normal is a Danish discount variety store chain headquartered in Skanderborg. It primarily sells branded personal care and cosmetic products, cleaning and household goods, confectionery, snacks and beverages at fixed low prices.[4][3]
The chain was founded by Torben Østergaard Mouritsen and Bo Evald Kristensen, with its first store opening in Silkeborg in April 2013.[3] It subsequently expanded throughout Europe. As of August 2026, Normal's official store locator listed 1,095 locations across 14 countries.[1]
History
[edit]Normal was founded by Torben Østergaard Mouritsen and Bo Evald Kristensen, who developed a retail concept based on selling branded everyday products at consistently low prices.[3] The first Normal store opened in Silkeborg in April 2013.[5]
In 2014, Anders Holch Povlsen, owner of the fashion group Bestseller, became an investor in Normal. He later became the company's majority shareholder and owns approximately 67% of the chain, while Mouritsen and Kristensen each hold between 10% and 15% and Jan Dal Lehrmann holds between 5% and 10%.[3]
The chain expanded rapidly in Denmark, growing from 25 stores at the beginning of 2016 to 76 by the end of that year.[6] In 2017, Normal began its international expansion by entering Norway.[7] It entered Sweden and the Netherlands in 2018, followed by France in 2019.[8] By September 2019, the chain had 212 stores across five countries.[9]
Normal entered Finland in 2021,[10] Portugal in 2022[11] and Spain in 2023.[12] By 2024, it operated more than 775 stores across Europe.[13]
The chain entered Italy in 2025,[14] followed by Ireland in November of that year.[15] Austria became its next market in March 2026,[16] followed by Slovakia in May[17] and the Czech Republic in August.[18] In 2026, Normal also announced its entry into Romania, with its first store scheduled to open in Bucharest in the autumn.[19]
In April 2026, Normal launched Animal, a pet retail concept in Aarhus. The single store opened on 1 April and closed on 22 May of the same year.[20][21]
Business model
[edit]Normal sells a mixture of well-known branded products and lesser-known brands, primarily in categories such as skin care, hair care, oral care, cosmetics, cleaning products, household goods, confectionery and beverages.[22][23]
A significant part of the company's business model is based on parallel importing branded goods from different markets within the European Economic Area. Normal sources products through a network of suppliers and purchases them in markets where they can be obtained at lower prices. Prices may differ between countries according to local market conditions and purchasing power.[3]
Unlike many other discount retailers, Normal generally does not rely on temporary sales or promotional discounts. Products are instead sold at fixed low prices while they remain in the assortment.[4][24]
The chain maintains a core assortment of everyday products alongside a frequently changing selection of other goods. Around 100 new products are introduced each week, and stores carry approximately 6,000 different items.[25][26]
Normal stores use a maze-like layout with a prescribed route through the product categories, an arrangement intended to make shopping resemble a "treasure hunt".[27][28]
When Normal entered France in 2019, its stores had an average sales area of approximately 300 m2 (3,200 sq ft).[24] The chain generally targets locations with high pedestrian traffic, including city centres, shopping streets and shopping centres.[29]
Stores
[edit]As of August 2026, Normal's official store locator listed 1,095 locations across 14 European countries.[1]
| Country | Entry year | Number of stores |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 2013 | 170 |
| Norway | 2017 | 219 |
| Netherlands | 2018 | 50 |
| Sweden | 2018 | 152 |
| France | 2019 | 256 |
| Finland | 2021 | 105 |
| Portugal | 2022 | 54 |
| Spain | 2023 | 49 |
| Ireland | 2025 | 6 |
| Italy | 2025 | 23 |
| Austria | 2026 | 4 |
| Slovakia | 2026 | 2 |
| Czech Republic | 2026 | 3 |
| Romania | 2026 | 2 |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Find store". NORMAL.
- ↑ "NORMAL A/S". Proff (in Danish).
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Jens Bertelsen. "Normal – butikskæde". Lex (in Danish).
- 1 2 "Om os". NORMAL (in Danish).
- ↑ "Welcome to Normal". NORMAL Group.
- ↑ "Butikskæden Normal fordoblede omsætningen sidste år". Avisen.dk (in Danish). 16 May 2017.
- ↑ "Butikskæden Normal åbner i Norge". FødevareWatch (in Danish). 10 May 2017.
- ↑ "L'enseigne danoise à petits prix Normal part à l'assaut de la France". Le Monde (in French). 20 May 2019.
- ↑ "Le discounter Normal nouveau venu sur le marché français". EcommerceMag.fr (in French). 17 September 2019.
- ↑ "Thursday's papers: Discount store's boom normalising, Finns' favourite investments, influenza hitting hard". Yle. 18 December 2025.
- ↑ "Low cost Normal abre mais 10 lojas e contrata 100 no próximo ano". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 30 October 2022.
- ↑ "La cadena danesa Normal desembarca en España con la apertura de cuatro tiendas". Europa Press (in Spanish). 6 November 2023.
- ↑ "Le nouveau magasin Normal attire l'attention face à son concurrent Action". Yahoo Actualités (in French). 22 August 2024.
- ↑ "Il marchio «Normal» approda in Italia: il colosso del retail danese apre due store a Roma". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 17 February 2025.
- ↑ "Normal Store Opening". Retail News. 19 November 2025.
- ↑ "Dänische Drogeriekette „Normal" eröffnet am Donnerstag erste Filiale in Österreich". Kurier (in German). 18 March 2026.
- ↑ "Dánsky reťazec Normal otvoril prvú predajňu v bratislavskom centre Eurovea". Tovar a Predaj (in Slovak). 20 May 2026.
- ↑ "Dánský řetězec otevřel první prodejnu v Praze. Jaké má ceny?". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 12 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lanțul danez de magazine Normal, de tip drogherie, intră pe piața din România în toamnă". Economedia (in Romanian). 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "NORMAL åbner kæledyrsunivers midt i Aarhus". Mig og Aarhus (in Danish). 1 April 2026.
- ↑ "ANIMAL lukker i Aarhus". Mig og Aarhus (in Danish). 22 May 2026.
- ↑ "Le discounter Normal nouveau venu sur le marché français". EcommerceMag.fr (in French). 17 September 2019.
- ↑ "Normal, le magasin discount au succès fulgurant en France". Le Monde (in French). 5 August 2025.
- 1 2 Dalila Bouaziz (17 September 2019). "Retour sur l'arrivée de l'enseigne Normal en France". EcommerceMag.fr (in French).
- ↑ Emmanuel Gavard (6 March 2023). "Comment l'enseigne Normal utilise les réseaux sociaux". Stratégies (in French).
- ↑ Juliette Garnier (5 August 2025). "Normal, le magasin discount au succès fulgurant en France". Le Monde (in French).
- ↑ Dalila Bouaziz (17 September 2019). "Le discounter Normal nouveau venu sur le marché français". EcommerceMag.fr (in French).
- ↑ Laurent Siatka (25 March 2022). "L'enseigne danoise Normal a ouvert son premier magasin à Metz". La Gazette France (in French).
- ↑ "Interview with Torben Mouritsen, CEO of Normal" (PDF). Global Retail News. April 2019.
External links
[edit]- Official website
Media related to Normal (shop chain) at Wikimedia Commons
