Shopping in Denmark: Supermarkets, Payments & Store Hours

Supermarkets and Grocery Stores

Denmark has nearly 20 grocery chains spanning five major retail groups, from budget discount stores to large hypermarkets.

Denmark has a surprisingly rich grocery landscape — there are almost 20 different kinds of grocery shops spread across the country, which can feel overwhelming when you first arrive. The sector is organized around five main retail groups: Salling Group and Coop are the two largest Danish-owned groups. The Danish/Norwegian-owned Dagrofa group, Reitan Group (which owns Rema 1000), and German-owned Lidl Stiftung round out the major players. Each group operates multiple store formats, from no-frills discount shops to large hypermarkets, so the chain name you see may not immediately signal which group it belongs to.

If you are watching your budget, the discount shops are your best bet for everyday essentials. Rema 1000 and Lidl are generally considered the cheapest options, and both have a wide network of stores in urban and suburban areas. Netto, 365discount, and Fakta are also in the budget tier. Many of these stores stock their own private-label lines — the Salling Group stores use the "Princip" brand, Coop sells products under the "Coop" and "änglamark" labels, and Rema 1000 markets its own "Rema 1000" range including an organic sub-brand called Gram Slot. Buying these own-brand products is one of the most reliable ways to lower your grocery bill without sacrificing quality. Note that discount stores like Netto also run rotating "spot deal" sections with non-grocery items such as toys, tools, and seasonal goods — these items are usually one-time deals and not a regular part of the store's range.

The mid-to-high range supermarkets — Føtex, Meny, Bilka, Salling Super, Superbrugsen, and Kvickly — tend to be larger and carry a wider variety of goods, including more specialty or premium products. Bilka is Denmark's largest supermarket and closest equivalent to a hypermarket, selling everything from groceries to garden tools, bikes, and cosmetics. In the Aarhus area there is only one Bilka, located in Tilst. Salling Super, located inside the Salling department store, stocks a range of fine foods and specialty items not typically found in other chains. For day-to-day shopping, most expats find that a combination of a budget discount store for staples and a mid-range store for fresh produce, meat, and specialty items provides the right balance of economy and selection. Typical supermarket prices in Denmark are notably higher than in Southern Europe — milk (1 litre) costs roughly 10–12 DKK, bread (500g) 15–25 DKK, and eggs (10 pieces) around 30–35 DKK.

If you are looking for ingredients beyond standard Danish and European fare — Asian spices, Middle Eastern legumes, African specialty products — you will generally need to visit a specialty or international grocery store. These can be found in most larger cities and towns. In Aarhus, for example, Bazaar Vest in Brabrand is a large multicultural food market with an extensive range of global produce, spices, bakeries, and cafes. Online grocery shopping has also become popular in Denmark. Several stores offer home delivery or click-and-collect services, and apps tied to specific chains make it easy to order from home. A number of online supermarket platforms cater to households that prefer to skip the weekly in-store trip. Wolt also delivers groceries from partner stores in major cities.

Payment Methods and Price Ranges

Denmark is nearly cashless. Cards, MobilePay, and contactless payments are universal; cash is accepted but rarely used.

Denmark operates as one of the world's most cashless societies. Most Danes use debit or credit cards when paying for groceries, and MobilePay is widely accepted in nearly all supermarkets and many smaller shops. The Dankort — Denmark's national debit card — has been the backbone of Danish payments for decades and is accepted universally. International Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards also work everywhere. Cash is accepted but rarely used since most Danes do not carry cash on a daily basis, and some small vendors or stalls may actually decline cash in favour of card-only payments. As a new arrival, you should set up a Danish bank account and obtain a Dankort as soon as possible to avoid relying on foreign cards, which may incur transaction fees.

• Dankort (Danish national debit card) — universally accepted at all supermarkets and stores
• Visa and Mastercard (debit and credit) — accepted everywhere
• MobilePay — widely accepted in supermarkets, markets, and many independent shops; used for in-store payments via QR code or app
• Contactless / tap-to-pay — works at virtually all terminals; no PIN needed for amounts up to 400 DKK
• Cash (DKK) — legally accepted but rarely used; some venues are card-only
• American Express — limited acceptance; not recommended as a primary card

Typical Grocery Price Ranges

Overall, grocery costs in Denmark run 30–40% higher than in Southern Europe and are also above the EU average. A single adult shopping at discount stores can expect to spend roughly 1,500–2,500 DKK per month on groceries, depending on diet and how frequently they eat out. Couples and families can achieve meaningful savings by shopping at budget chains like Rema 1000 and Lidl, buying own-brand products, and taking advantage of weekly promotional deals. Reddit threads from 2025–2026 suggest many expat singles in Copenhagen spend between 1,800–2,500 DKK monthly on food. Buying groceries at a supermarket and self-catering for most meals is significantly cheaper than eating at restaurants, where a basic meal easily costs 180–350 DKK.

Many supermarkets in Denmark offer free loyalty apps and membership clubs that unlock additional discounts, personalised offers, and cashback rewards. The Coop app allows members to earn a bonus (typically 1–4% cashback) on purchases across all Coop stores (365discount, Superbrugsen, Kvickly, etc.) and gives access to exclusive member prices. Coop membership benefits are free to join and include a personal offers section with targeted discounts. The Salling Group operates a similar scheme through the Salling app, covering Netto, Føtex, and Bilka. Some stores also support a "scan as you go" solution, where you scan items as you place them in your basket using your phone, then pay by QR code at exit — eliminating traditional checkout queues. These tech features are especially common in larger urban stores.

Store Hours and Seasonal Sales

Most Danish supermarkets are open 7:00–21:00 or 22:00 daily. Key sale periods are January, summer, and Black Friday/Christmas.

Danish store opening hours are generally consistent and shopper-friendly. Most grocery shops open from around 7:00 and close between 21:00 and 22:00, seven days a week. Larger hypermarkets like Bilka may stay open until 22:00 or even later, while smaller convenience-format stores and kiosks in busy areas — including some Netto city branches — can be open past midnight. The general opening hours in Copenhagen for most shops outside the grocery sector follow a 10:00–18:00 or 10:00–20:00 pattern on weekdays, with shorter hours on Saturdays and reduced or closed hours on Sundays. Denmark has no national Sunday trading ban for most retail; however, some smaller local supermarkets and specialty shops in residential areas may choose to close on Sundays or public holidays.

Denmark observes a number of public holidays on which many stores reduce their hours or close entirely. These include Christmas Eve (Dec 24), Christmas Day (Dec 25), Boxing Day (Dec 26), New Year's Day (Jan 1), and the major spring public holidays such as Easter and Ascension Day (Store Bededag was abolished in 2024 as a public holiday). Supermarkets often maintain reduced hours on these days rather than closing completely, but specialty stores, clothing retailers, and shopping malls may be fully closed. It is wise to stock up the day before a major public holiday. The visitdenmark.dk guide to store opening hours and websites like lukketider.com provide specific date-by-date information for Danish public holidays, making it easy to plan around closures.

Denmark has two main retail sale seasons per year, broadly mirroring patterns across Scandinavia. The winter/January sale ("vinterudsalg") kicks off after Christmas and runs through January, with clothing, electronics, and home goods marked down 30–70%. The summer sale ("sommersalg") typically begins in late June or early July and runs through August, covering many of the same categories. Beyond these traditional seasonal sales, Black Friday has become Denmark's biggest single shopping event and typically falls on the last Friday of November — many Danish retailers run week-long or even month-long promotions leading up to the day. Copenhagen's shopping malls and online retailers tend to align their major promotions to these periods. Christmas-season shopping peaks in December, when Tivoli Gardens and city centre street markets create a festive atmosphere and pop-up seasonal stalls selling gifts and food appear across major cities.

One uniquely Danish grocery-shopping habit that can save you significant money throughout the year is following the tilbudsavis — the weekly promotional flyer issued by each supermarket chain. Danes study these flyers carefully and will often switch between stores based on which chain offers the best deal on a particular item that week. Digital versions are available through apps and websites like tilbudsaviseronline.dk and dedicated comparison tools that aggregate deals across all the major chains. Many chain-specific apps (Coop, Salling, Rema 1000) also push personalised offers directly to your phone, making it easy to plan your shopping around the best current prices. Additionally, Too Good To Go is widely used in Danish supermarkets and bakeries to sell surplus food at a fraction of the original price — typically available through the app in the evening hours when stores are clearing end-of-day stock.