ICA
ICA is Sweden's largest grocery retailer, operating approximately 1,300 physical stores across four formats plus e-commerce, serving Swedish consumers with food and household goods integrated across pharmacy, banking, insurance, and delivery services under the 6-million-member Stammis loyalty program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1917
- HeadquartersSolna, Sweden
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What ICA does
ICA, formally ICA Sverige AB, is Sweden's largest grocery retailer, operating a network of approximately 1,300 physical stores across four differentiated formats — ICA Nära (convenience), ICA Supermarket, ICA Kvantum (mid-to-large), and Maxi ICA Stormarknad (hypermarket) — plus the ICA ToGo grab-and-go format. The cooperative-style network is coordinated by ICA Sverige AB and complemented by digital channels including a consumer e-commerce platform (handlaprivatkund.ica.se), a dedicated B2B platform (handlaforetag.ica.se), a recipe and content platform (ica.se with 23,000+ recipes), and a mobile app. ICA serves the full Swedish consumer population as its primary customer base, alongside business customers procuring through the B2B channel, and integrates its grocery offering with related services through subsidiaries and partners: Apotek Hjärtat (pharmacy), ICA Banken (banking), ICA Försäkring (insurance), and Gaston (delivery), all unified under the Stammis loyalty program.
The company's core technology stack centers on RELEX Solutions' unified AI platform, deployed since 2018 for forecasting, replenishment, and inventory optimization, and extended in 2026 to RELEX Promotions for end-to-end promotional planning across the 200,000-SKU assortment. The technology layer also includes sustainability-adjacent innovations such as Swegreen in-store farming systems piloted at two store locations and a strategic investment in Re:Ocean's land-based salmon aquaculture project, signaling vertical integration into domestic fresh-protein supply.
ICA generates revenue through grocery and consumer-goods sales across its physical store network and online channels, monetizes the Stammis loyalty program (6 million members) through cross-vertical partner economics, and earns ancillary revenue through banking, insurance, pharmacy, and delivery services bundled into its ecosystem. Recent strategic activity has emphasized AI-driven promotional planning, sustainability differentiation through hyper-local production, and supply-chain verticalization, while the core multi-format retail model remains the dominant revenue engine.
ICA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ICA
- Legal name
- ICA Sverige AB
- Website
- https://ica.se
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1917
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- ICA is Sweden's largest grocery retailer, operating approximately 1,300 physical stores across four formats plus e-commerce, serving Swedish consumers with food and household goods integrated across pharmacy, banking, insurance, and delivery services under the 6-million-member Stammis loyalty program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ICA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Grocery Retail
- NAICS
- Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511)
- SIC
- Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Grocery & Food Omnichannel (CRAFAEAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Grocery, Food & Essentials Commerce Platforms (BPAMAGAF), Grocery & Convenience Delivery Platforms (BPAMAHAC)
Keywords
Where ICA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Solna
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
ICA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Grocery Retail Sales: ICA operates as Sweden's largest grocery retailer, generating revenue through the sale of food and consumer goods across its network of physical stores and online platforms. The company operates under a cooperative retail model where individual store owners are affiliated with the ICA brand.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
ICA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ICA operates as Sweden's largest grocery retailer, running approximately 1,300 physical stores across multiple formats (ICA Nära convenience, ICA Supermarket, ICA Kvantum, Maxi ICA Stormarknad hypermarket, ICA ToGo grab-and-go) and serving customers through dedicated e-commerce platforms for both private consumers and businesses. The company provides groceries and consumer goods, the Stammis loyalty program with 6 million members, ICA Catering services, ICA Matkasse food box subscriptions, and an integrated ecosystem spanning pharmacy (Apotek Hjärtat), banking (ICA Banken), insurance (ICA Försäkring), and delivery (Gaston).
Product overview
ICA is Sweden's largest grocery retailer operating approximately 1,300 stores across multiple formats (ICA Nära, ICA Supermarket, ICA Kvantum, and Maxi ICA Stormarknad). The company offers a comprehensive digital ecosystem centered on ICA.se, its main consumer website, and ICA Handla Online for e-commerce. The portfolio includes the Stammis loyalty program (6 million members), the ICA Recipes platform (over 23,000 recipes), and ICA Catering services. Technology integration includes RELEX Solutions for AI-powered promotional planning and inventory optimization. Sustainability initiatives include Swegreen in-store farming systems at select locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ICA Nära: Neighborhood grocery store format serving local communities
- ICA Kvantum
- ICA Supermarket
- Maxi ICA Stormarknad
- ICA ToGo
- Stammis
- Apotek Hjärtat
- ICA Banken
- ICA Försäkring
- Gaston
Products and services
- ICA Handla Online (Consumer Grocery E-commerce) ICA Handla Online is ICA's consumer-facing grocery e-commerce platform (handlaprivatkund.ica.se) enabling Swedish households to shop online for groceries and consumer goods with home delivery or store pickup options across the ICA network.
- ICA Handla Online (B2B Business Procurement) Dedicated B2B e-commerce platform (handlaforetag.ica.se) for companies, associations, and caterers to procure groceries, food, and catering supplies for business purposes with account management and business pricing.
- Stammis Loyalty Program ICA's customer loyalty program with approximately 6 million Swedish members offering one point per krona spent on ICA and Apotek Hjärtat purchases, plus points on insurance premiums, with 20 extra points for payments using an ICA card, monthly point accumulation, and partner benefits extending to ICA Banken, ICA Försäkring, Bookbeat, Bixia, TV4 Play, and Gaston.
- ICA Catering ICA Catering is the in-store catering service offered across ICA stores in Sweden for events and gatherings, providing platters, buffets, and customized food solutions prepared by local store teams.
- ICA Matkasse (Food Box Subscription) ICA Matkasse is ICA's subscription-based food box service providing pre-portioned ingredients and recipes delivered to customers for convenient home meal preparation across Sweden.
- Apotek Hjärtat (Pharmacy) Apotek Hjärtat provides pharmacy services integrated into the ICA ecosystem in Sweden, with Stammis loyalty points collectible on purchases and smart discounts available to members.
- ICA Banken (Banking Services) ICA Banken offers banking services for ICA customers in Sweden, including payment cards that earn double Stammis bonus at ICA and Apotek Hjärtat, plus tiered mortgage rates that improve based on ICA shopping volume.
- ICA Försäkring (Insurance) ICA Försäkring provides insurance services for ICA customers in Sweden, offering Stammis loyalty bonus on insurance premiums and an annual collection bonus of up to 500 SEK.
- Gaston (Food Delivery Service) Gaston is the food delivery and logistics service within the ICA ecosystem in Sweden, offering Stammis members delivery-related offers and integrated fulfillment across the network.
Quantifiable outcome
- 32% decrease in safety stock inventory
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ICA
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ICA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability2 records
Feature2 records
ICA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- RELEX SolutionscoreICA expanded its partnership with RELEX Solutions to implement RELEX Promotions for end-to-end promotional planning across its nationwide network of approximately 1,300 stores. The system connects with ICA's existing forecasting and replenishment platform that has been in place since 2018. This expansion builds on prior results where ICA achieved improved forecast accuracy and reduced inventory levels and safety stock through RELEX's unified platform.
- Re:OceanminorICA is backing Re:Ocean's SEK 2.3 billion (USD 226 million) land-based Atlantic salmon farm project in Säffle, Sweden, alongside fellow retailers Axfood and Coop. The project aims to supply 20 percent of Sweden's total salmon consumption by 2026, addressing the fact that 99.9 percent of salmon currently consumed in Sweden is imported.
- Apotek HjärtatcoreApotek Hjärtat pharmacy is integrated into the ICA ecosystem, with Stammis members able to collect points when shopping at Apotek Hjärtat and receiving smart discounts and bonus offers.
- ICA BankencoreICA Banken offers Stammis members double bonus when shopping with ICA Bank cards at ICA and Apotek Hjärtat, plus lower mortgage rates based on shopping volume.
- ICA FörsäkringcoreICA Försäkring offers Stammis members bonus on insurance premiums plus an annual collection bonus of up to 500 SEK.
- BookbeatminorBookbeat subscription offers Stammis members 150 SEK welcome bonus and ongoing monthly bonus of 10 SEK.
- Bixia (Energy)minorBixia energy provider offers Stammis members 500 SEK ICA bonus, 25% discount on monthly fee, plus bonus on electricity consumption (1 SEK ICA bonus per 50 kWh) with Bixia Variable Price ICA and up to 50% discount on monthly fee with Bixia Hourly Price ICA.
- TV4 PlayminorTV4 Play subscription offers Stammis members 50% discount on chosen subscription for up to 3 months plus 10 SEK ongoing monthly bonus after 3 months.
- GastonminorGaston (food delivery service) is part of the ICA ecosystem, with Stammis members receiving offers from the service.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ICA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Coop Sverige AB: Coop is Sweden's second-largest grocery retailer with nationwide store coverage and a member-owned cooperative structure nearly identical to ICA's. Direct competition across formats (Coop, Stora Coop, Coop Extra) and overlapping loyalty programs make it ICA's closest peer.
- Axfood AB: Axfood owns Willys (low-price) and Hemköp (mid-market grocery) in Sweden and is the listed grocery pure-play benchmark in Nordic retail. Comparable on retail formats, e-commerce and B2B food wholesale (Dagab), competing with ICA in every Swedish sub-segment.
- Lidl Sverige: Lidl is the Swedish arm of the Schwarz Group and a leading hard-discount grocery operator in Sweden. Direct competitor primarily to ICA Supermarket and ICA Nära on price-sensitive baskets, with a rapidly densifying Swedish footprint.
- Kesko Oyj: Kesko is Finland's largest grocery operator running multiple store formats (K-market, K-supermarket, K-citymarket) with its own production (Kesko's own-brand and K-food). Most comparable Nordic peer to ICA in operating model, multi-format strategy and own-label depth.
- Salling Group A/S: Salling Group is Denmark's largest grocery retailer (Netto, Føtex, Bilka, Salling) operating a multi-format grocery and adjacent services model that closely mirrors ICA's Sweden configuration, including bakery/production arms and digital grocery.
- NorgesGruppen ASA: NorgesGruppen is Norway's leading grocery wholesaler and retailer operating Meny, Kiwi, Spar and Joker banners under a multi-format umbrella. Nordic cooperative-style peer to ICA with grocery, e-commerce and B2B exposure that closely map to ICA Sverige AB's structure.
Broad incumbents
- Ahold Delhaize: Ahold Delhaize operates Albert Heijn and other banners across the Netherlands, Belgium and the U.S. Broad incumbent with omnichannel grocery, private-label and loyalty depth analogous to ICA but at much greater international scale.
- Tesco plc: Tesco is the UK's largest grocery retailer operating a multi-format store network (Tesco Extra, Superstore, Metro, Express) with a loyalty program (Clubcard) and B2B/Maxol ranges. Relevant broad benchmark for omnichannel grocery, loyalty data and AI-driven forecasting.
- Carrefour SA: Carrefour is a leading European hypermarket and supermarket operator (Carrefour Market, Carrefour Express) with omnichannel and private-label scale. Useful broad-incumbent benchmark for ICA's hypermarket (Maxi ICA Stormarknad) and convenience formats.
Others
- RELEX Solutions: RELEX Solutions is the AI forecasting, replenishment and promotions platform that powers ICA's inventory and promotional planning across ~1,300 stores. Included as a strategic infrastructure provider/ecosystem participant tightly embedded in ICA's supply-chain tech stack rather than as a competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ICA social profiles
Digital presenceICA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ICA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ICA subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
ICA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ICA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ICA
What does ICA do?
ICA operates as Sweden's largest grocery retailer, running approximately 1,300 physical stores across multiple formats (ICA Nära convenience, ICA Supermarket, ICA Kvantum, Maxi ICA Stormarknad hypermarket, ICA ToGo grab-and-go) and serving customers through dedicated e-commerce platforms for both private consumers and businesses. The company provides groceries and consumer goods, the Stammis loyalty program with 6 million members, ICA Catering services, ICA Matkasse food box subscriptions, and an integrated ecosystem spanning pharmacy (Apotek Hjärtat), banking (ICA Banken), insurance (ICA Försäkring), and delivery (Gaston).
Is ICA a public or private company?
ICA is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was ICA founded?
ICA was founded in 1917. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is ICA based?
ICA is headquartered in Solna, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does ICA make money?
One revenue line is on record: grocery Retail Sales.
Who are ICA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Coop Sverige AB, Axfood AB, Lidl Sverige, Kesko Oyj, Salling Group A/S and NorgesGruppen ASA. Broad incumbents are Ahold Delhaize, Tesco plc and Carrefour SA. RELEX Solutions is listed as an others.
Does ICA have an API?
No public API is recorded for ICA.
What industry is ICA in?
ICA's product category is Grocery Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAEAE, Grocery & Food Omnichannel, with a secondary code of BPAMAGAF, Grocery, Food & Essentials Commerce Platforms. Its NAICS code is 44511 and its SIC code is 5411.