Is ICA a Swedish company?

Yes. ICA originated in Sweden, where Hakon Swenson founded Hakonbolaget in Västerås in 1917, and ICA was established as a company in 1938 to coordinate Swedish purchasing centres. ICA’s core grocery business operates throughout Sweden.

Who is the owner of ICA?

ICA is ultimately owned by ICA-handlarnas Förbund, a Swedish cooperative membership organisation for ICA retailers. The ownership chain runs through ICA Sverige AB, ICA Gruppen AB and Murgröna Holding AB.

When was the ICA logo created?

Industrial designer Rune Monö created the current ICA logo in 1963. ICA’s affiliated retailers began using the common ICA symbol in 1964.

What are the main ICA store formats?

The main ICA store formats include ICA Nära, ICA Supermarket and Maxi ICA Stormarknad. The formats range from smaller neighbourhood stores to larger supermarkets and hypermarkets.

What does ICA mean in a medical report?

ICA commonly means the internal carotid artery in medical terminology. The exact meaning depends on the clinical context.

Is ICA Radio part of the grocery company?

A separately verified current ICA Radio business is not established in the available company information. The verified ICA ownership structure concerns the grocery brand and runs ultimately to ICA-handlarnas Förbund.

Who owns ICA?

ICA

Ultimate ownerSwedenICA-handlarnas Förbund

Brand origin: Sweden
Main production: Several countries, incl. Sweden

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Ownership chain

BrandICASweden
ICA Sverige AB
ICA Gruppen AB
Murgröna Holding AB
Ultimate ownerICA-handlarnas FörbundSweden

About ICA

What is ICA?

ICA is a Swedish grocery retail brand built around independently owned and operated stores that cooperate through shared purchasing, logistics and a common name. ICA Gruppen describes grocery retail as its core business, with ICA Sweden operating throughout Sweden in cooperation with independent ICA retailers. ICA is headquartered in Solna, Sweden, through ICA Gruppen’s group organisation. ICA stores operate under several formats, including ICA Nära, ICA Supermarket and Maxi ICA Stormarknad. The formats serve different local retail needs, from smaller neighbourhood shops to larger supermarkets and hypermarkets. ICA also sells private-label food and non-food products through its stores. ICA is one of Sweden’s best-known brands. The ICA logo is used by affiliated retailers under a common brand, while individual retailers own and manage their own stores. This structure distinguishes ICA from a conventional chain in which every store is owned and operated directly by one company. ICA Gruppen’s wider business includes ICA Sweden, Apotek Hjärtat, ICA Real Estate and ICA Bank. ICA Sweden is the grocery retail operation. Apotek Hjärtat operates pharmacies, ICA Real Estate owns and manages properties, and ICA Bank provides financial services.

Who owns ICA?

ICA is ultimately owned by ICA-handlarnas Förbund, according to Made O’Meter’s ownership data verified on 13 September 2026. The ownership chain is ICA, ICA Sverige AB, ICA Gruppen AB, Murgröna Holding AB and ICA-handlarnas Förbund. ICA-handlarnas Förbund is a Swedish cooperative membership organisation for ICA retailers. It is also the majority owner of ICA Gruppen. ICA Gruppen’s 2025 reporting stated that ICA-handlarnas Förbund owned 85.4 percent of ICA Gruppen, AMF Tjänstepension AB owned 12.5 percent and members of ICA-handlarnas Förbund owned 2.1 percent. The immediate corporate structure places ICA Sverige AB within ICA Gruppen AB. Murgröna Holding AB acquired ICA Gruppen in 2022, after which ICA Gruppen’s shares were delisted from the Stockholm Stock Exchange. In the 2022 ownership arrangement, Murgröna Holding AB was owned 87 percent by ICA-handlarnas Förbund and 13 percent by AMF. ICA-handlarnas Förbund was formed in 1940 as the membership organisation for ICA retailers. The organisation’s ownership role gives ICA retailers a collective influence over the group that operates the ICA business.

Where does ICA come from?

ICA originated in Västerås, Sweden, where Hakon Swenson founded the wholesale company AB Hakon Swenson, known as Hakonbolaget, in 1917. Hakon Swenson’s model allowed independent retailers to cooperate through common purchasing while retaining ownership of their own shops. Around 1920, ICA launched Luxus coffee as one of its first private-label products. The product is part of the early development of ICA’s own-brand business. ICA was founded as a company in 1938 to coordinate four Swedish purchasing centres, including Hakonbolaget. In 1939, the four purchasing centres established Inköpscentralernas AB ICA as a jointly owned company. ICA-handlarnas Förbund was formed in 1940. The organisation represented ICA retailers and later became central to ICA’s ownership structure. In 1964, the ICA purchasing centres adopted a common ICA symbol. Affiliated independent retailers could then use one shared brand, and all affiliated retailers began displaying the ICA logo. According to ICA-handlarnas Förbund, ICA subsequently had a larger market share than Kooperativa Förbundet. Industrial designer Rune Monö created the current ICA logo in 1963. The logo was introduced as the common ICA symbol in 1964. ICA Gruppen describes the logo as one of Sweden’s best-known brands. In 1972, the purchasing centres changed their name to ICA AB, and ICA-handlarnas Förbund became the principal owner. The same year marked the development of ICA as a more unified group, while the independent retailer model remained central to the business. In 2000, Royal Ahold acquired 50 percent of ICA AB. ICA Förbundet Invest owned 30 percent and Canica AS owned 20 percent. The transaction valued ICA AB at SEK 31.3 billion. Canica sold its stake in 2004, after which ICA Förbundet Invest owned 40 percent of ICA AB. In 2005, ICA Förbundet Invest changed its name to Hakon Invest and was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. In February 2013, Hakon Invest acquired Royal Ahold’s entire holding in ICA AB for SEK 20 billion. Hakon Invest changed its name to ICA Gruppen AB in 2013. In 2022, Murgröna Holding AB acquired ICA Gruppen and ICA Gruppen’s shares were delisted from the Stockholm Stock Exchange.

What products does ICA make?

ICA sells groceries, beverages, fresh foods, household goods and other private-label products through its stores. ICA’s private-label range includes food and non-food products, with products sold under the ICA name and other ICA-related labels. ICA’s coffee range includes different roasts and flavours. Luxus coffee was one of ICA’s first private-label products, launched around 1920. ICA stores also sell fresh produce, dairy products, meat, fish, bakery goods, frozen foods, snacks and prepared foods. The range differs by store format and local retailer. ICA Gruppen describes ICA Sweden as a grocery retail business rather than only a manufacturer. Products sold under the ICA name may therefore be produced by different suppliers for ICA’s retail operation. The available sources identify the product categories and private-label activity but do not establish one single manufacturing site for all ICA products. ICA Gruppen’s wider portfolio includes pharmacy services through Apotek Hjärtat and financial services through ICA Bank. Those businesses are part of ICA Gruppen’s operations but are separate from ICA’s core grocery range.

How does the ICA store model work?

ICA stores are generally owned and operated by independent ICA retailers who cooperate with ICA Sweden on purchasing, logistics and the common brand. The model was based on independent retailers owning and operating their stores while cooperating through shared purchasing and a common identity. ICA Sweden acts as a wholesaler and supports the retailers’ grocery operations. The retailers manage their own stores and can adapt concepts and offers to local customers. The model began with purchasing centres created to give independent retailers purchasing advantages similar to those available to large chain businesses. The common ICA symbol, introduced in 1964, allowed affiliated retailers to present themselves under one shared brand and enabled central advertising and joint offers. ICA’s store formats include ICA Nära, ICA Supermarket and Maxi ICA Stormarknad. ICA Nära stores are associated with local and neighbourhood shopping, while larger formats provide broader grocery ranges and larger sales areas.

How many ICA stores are there?

ICA Gruppen reported approximately 1,300 stores operated by independent ICA retailers in Sweden in a corporate description. ICA Gruppen also reported approximately 1,600 grocery stores across Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the same description, although the broader figure includes operations outside the Swedish ICA store network. ICA Gruppen’s 2025 question-and-answer material stated that the group had 1,975 wholly owned or retailer-owned stores and pharmacies in four geographical markets. That figure combines stores and pharmacies, so it is not a count of ICA-branded grocery stores alone. The number of ICA stores changes as retailers open, close, convert or change format. The Swedish network includes ICA Nära, ICA Supermarket and Maxi ICA Stormarknad locations.

Where does ICA operate?

ICA’s core grocery retail business operates throughout Sweden in cooperation with independent ICA retailers. ICA Gruppen has also operated businesses in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania through its wider group structure. ICA Gruppen’s operations include ICA Sweden, Rimi Baltic, Apotek Hjärtat, ICA Real Estate and ICA Bank. Rimi Baltic is a separate grocery retail operation in the Baltic region, while Apotek Hjärtat operates pharmacies in Sweden. ICA Gruppen reported that its operations were mainly active in four geographical markets, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, in its corporate question-and-answer material. In 2025, ICA Gruppen reported the divestment of Rimi Baltic to Salling Group, changing the group’s structure outside Sweden. ICA’s official consumer website is ica.se. The website provides information about ICA stores, products and services in Sweden.

What does ICA stand for?

ICA originally referred to Inköpscentralernas Aktiebolag, the jointly owned company established by four Swedish purchasing centres in 1939. The initials became the name used by the purchasing organisation and later by the retail brand. The company was created to coordinate purchasing centres that served independent retailers. The ICA name became a shared identity when affiliated retailers adopted the common ICA symbol in 1964. The modern ICA brand therefore refers both to the retail name used by stores and to the corporate history that began with Swedish purchasing centres. The ownership and operating structure developed over time, but the name remains connected to cooperation among independent retailers.

Who owns ICA Radio?

The available ownership information identifies ICA as a grocery retail brand owned through ICA Sverige AB and ICA Gruppen AB, ultimately controlled by ICA-handlarnas Förbund. The available sources do not establish a separate current company or product called ICA Radio within that ownership chain. ICA has used audio and other media in connection with retail marketing, but a radio service with a separately verified owner cannot be identified from the available company information. The ICA brand’s verified official website is ica.se.

What is ICA in medical terms?

In medical terminology, ICA commonly means the internal carotid artery, a major artery that supplies blood to the brain. This medical abbreviation is separate from the Swedish grocery brand ICA. ICA can have other medical meanings depending on the clinical context. A medical document should be interpreted using the surrounding diagnosis, test or anatomical reference rather than the grocery brand name.

Frequently asked questions about ICA

Is ICA a Swedish company?: Yes. ICA originated in Sweden, where Hakon Swenson founded Hakonbolaget in Västerås in 1917, and ICA was established as a company in 1938 to coordinate Swedish purchasing centres. ICA’s core grocery business operates throughout Sweden.
Who is the owner of ICA?: ICA is ultimately owned by ICA-handlarnas Förbund, a Swedish cooperative membership organisation for ICA retailers. The ownership chain runs through ICA Sverige AB, ICA Gruppen AB and Murgröna Holding AB.
Are ICA stores independently owned?: Yes. ICA’s model is based on independent retailers owning and operating their own stores while cooperating through shared purchasing, logistics and the ICA brand. ICA Sweden supports the retailers as a wholesaler.
When was the ICA logo created?: Industrial designer Rune Monö created the current ICA logo in 1963. ICA’s affiliated retailers began using the common ICA symbol in 1964.
Does ICA sell its own coffee?: Yes. ICA sells coffee under its private-label range, including different roasts and flavours. Luxus coffee was one of ICA’s first private-label products and was launched around 1920.
What are the main ICA store formats?: The main ICA store formats include ICA Nära, ICA Supermarket and Maxi ICA Stormarknad. The formats range from smaller neighbourhood stores to larger supermarkets and hypermarkets.
What does ICA mean in a medical report?: ICA commonly means the internal carotid artery in medical terminology. The exact meaning depends on the clinical context.
Is ICA Radio part of the grocery company?: A separately verified current ICA Radio business is not established in the available company information. The verified ICA ownership structure concerns the grocery brand and runs ultimately to ICA-handlarnas Förbund.