| Type | Cooperative |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1906 |
| Headquarters | Oslo, Norway |
| Area served | Norway |
| Industry | Retail |
| Revenue | NOK 18.6 billion (2005) |
| Operating income | + NOK 43 million (2005) |
| Net income | + NOK 376 million (2005) |
| Website | coop.no |
Coop NKL BA is a Norwegian cooperative retailing company. Coop NKL is owned by 177 (as of 2005) local cooperative associations in Norway and has more than one million members and who actually operate that stores. The company has its headquarters in Oslo. Coop NKL owns 20% of the joint Nordic retail chain Coop Norden, which owns Coop Norway which operates as wholesaler for more than 1300 Norwegian retail stores. Coop Norden is also owned by Danish FDB and Swedish KF, also cooperative companies.
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Each of the more than one million members of Coop belongs to one or more of the 177 local cooperatives. A member must make a cash deposit of between NOK 100 and 300 (depending on which cooperative it is). The deposit, with interest, is redeemable if the member should choose to cancel his membership. Each of the local cooperatives operates one or more stores, 1300 in total. Most of these stores belong to the Coop chains (though some stores are operated on third-party franchise argreements). Each of the local cooperatives has a board elected by the members, with each member having one vote. Dividends are paid out based on a percentage of the amount purchased, not based on the capital lent. The local cooperatives own Coop NKL, who again owns 20% of Coop Norden. Coop Norden owns Coop Norge AS, which functions as a wholesaler and chain management for the stores in Norway.
Though the first cooperative store in Norway was started in the 1850s, Norges Kooperative Landsforening (NKL) was not founded until 1906 when representatives from 28 co-operatives founded NKL on June 27. In 1907 it joined the International Co-operative Alliance, where Coop NKL still is a member. The first function of NKL was to function as wholeseller for the co-operative stores of Norway.
In 1911 NKL acquired its first factory, the margarine factory Margarinfabrikken Norge in Bergen, later also purchasing margarine factories in Oslo and Bodø. In 1914 NKL bought a tobacco factory and in 1916 a coffee manufacturing plant. Throughout the 1920s NKL went into production of shoes and flour and in the 1930s chocolate and light bulbs. In 1930 NKL also established its own insurance company, Samvirke Forsikring. NKL owned Tormolux started producing washing machines and mopeds in the 1950s and in 1976 NKL acquired Røra Fabrikker who make jam and juice.
On October 1, 1947 the first self serve store opened in Norway. In 1951 the law was changed, and local co-operatives were allowed to open branch stores and also sell products to non-members. The S brand was taken into use in 1967 and a year later the warehouse chain Domus was started. The chain Obs! was started in 1975. In 1980 NKL, as the first retailer in Norway, launched non brand name products in blue and white liveries. In 1990 the chain Prix, now Coop Prix was introduced. In 2000 NKL was rebranded to Coop and in 2002 Coop Norden was established. At the same time NKL changed its name to Coop NKL.
First and foremost Coop operates food stores, but Coop also has some other store brands. Coop also has its own food brands, including X-tra and Coop.