The Norwegian Ministry of Industry and Fisheries has vetoed a merger between pizza-restaurant chains Dolly Dimple’s and Joe’s Pizza, on the grounds of unfair competition. The ministry announced its decision on 20 January.
Dolly Dimple's is owned by Norwegian grocery wholesaling group, NorgesGruppen.
"We will go on the offensive, to expand Dolly Dimple's. We are recruiting a new CEO and CFO, to help develop our competitiveness and to invest in the brand," said the CEO of the company's service-trade division, Marianne Ødegaard Ribe.
The Norwegian food-service sector has a growing number of competitors. The merger had been initiated by Joe's Pizza, owned by Umoe Restaurants.
Dolly Dimple’s was established in 1986, in Sandnes, Norway. It is one of the largest restaurant chains in Norway today and runs 42 restaurants nationwide. Its headquarters are in Oslo.
The company is renowned for its creative marketing campaigns, recently winning gold for its ‘Helt Texas’ campaign. 'Helt Texas', or Totally Texas, is a phrase used in Norway to describe a mad situation.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Martha Sparrius. Click subscribe to sign-up for ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine