Orkla Group

Orkla started out in 1654 with pyrite mining at Løkken Verk in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. Later the company also started mining copper, but this was abandoned in 1845. In 1904 Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag was founded by Christian Thams to start commercial mining at Løkken Verk, which included the construction of Thamshavnbanen, the first electric railway in Norway, between Løkken Verk and Thamshavn. This railway is still operated as a museum railway after the mining operations at Løkken Verk were closed on 10 July 1987.

In 1929, Orkla became listed on Oslo Stock Exchange and in 1931 the new smelting plant at Thamshavn outside Orkanger was opened. By 1941 Orkla started with a separate investments portfolio, and opened offices in Oslo in 1975. In 1984 Orkla started a major takeover of Norwegian newspapers, creating Orkla Media as one of the three largest media companies in Norway. Half of the magazine publisher Egmont-Mortensen was added to Orkla Media in 1992 and the Danish Det Berlingske Officin in 2000. Orkla sold the media section to Mecom in 2006.

In 1986 Orkla merged with Borregaard based in Sarpsborg to form Orkla Borregaard. The company then merged with Nora Industrier in 1992. Borregaard was spun off and introduced to the Oslo Stock Exchange in October 2012, with Orkla retaining a minority stake in the company. Orkla heavily invested in foods and among others acquired Swedish brewery Pripps as well as other companies, including Abba Seafood, Baltic Beverages Holding and Procordia Food. Norwegian Ringnes and Pripps were merged with Carlsberg Breweries, where Orkla acquired a 40% ownership in 2000. Orkla sold its ownership in Carlsberg in 2004.

In 2005 Orkla bought the Norwegian material company Elkem and Sapa Group in Sweden. In 2010 Orkla bought the Estonian confectionery company Kalev.

In January 2011, Orkla sold Elkem to China National Bluestar.

In November 2018 Orkla announced that it will acquire Finnish Kotipizza Group.

In March 2022, Orkla Health announced it had acquired 100% of the shares of dietary supplements supplier Healthspan Group Limited for £65 million on a cash and debt-free basis.

Operations

Orkla's branded consumer goods division produces brands in many fields, primarily in the Nordic region, but also in other places such as Central and Eastern European countries, and the Baltic region. Among the companies owned by Orkla are Abba Seafood, Beauvais foods, Chips, Felix, Göteborgs Kex, Kalev, KiMs, Lilleborg, MTR Foods, Rasoi Magic, Peter Möller, Nidar, OLW, Panda, Procordia Food, Stabburet, Sætre, Pierre Robert Group and Laima.

As of February 2020 Orkla had major ownership in Jotun (42.6%). Borregaard was divested and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in 2012. Orkla's 50% interest of Sapa Group was sold in 2017.

Brands

Pierre Robert Group

La Mote – clothes

Pierre Robert – clothes