Rema 1000 and Kiwi cut refill prices after Dinside investigation

Refill pouches for popular household cleaning products cost more than double the price of standard spray bottles at major Norwegian grocery chains until media intervention forced sudden price cuts, consumer watchdog reports revealed.

Price Discrepancies at Major Retailers

When Norwegian consumer publication Dinside investigated grocery pricing across Rema 1000, Kiwi, and Extra stores, Jif Universal, Jif Baderom, and Jif Kjøkken spray bottles were priced uniformly at 16.70 kroner each. However, the accompanying refill pouches—marketed as both economical and environmentally friendly alternatives—carried significantly higher price tags. Rema 1000 priced the refill pouches at 31.90 kroner, while Kiwi stores listed them between 34.90 and 35.40 kroner, forcing shoppers to pay more than twice the cost of a brand new spray bottle to refill an existing one.

Extra stores did not stock the refill pouches on shelves at the specific locations visited during the inspection, but Extra communications manager Silje Verlo Alisøy confirmed to Dinside that the chain does carry the items. Alisøy stated that Extra was first with the campaign and acknowledged that integrating a broad inventory across all retail locations takes time. She assured consumers that pricing would be adjusted to 16.66 kroner for the refill variants to ensure it pays to choose refill.

Retailers Adjust Pricing After Losses on Discounted Spray Bottles

Tom Ystaas, a pricing expert from Enhver.no who conducts unannounced store checks in partnership with Dinside, explained that promotional price wars frequently leave refill products stranded at standard rates. Ystaas noted that items discounted to 16.70 kroner carry negative gross profitability, meaning retailers absorb immediate losses on the spray bottles while leaving surrounding product categories untouched to limit total financial exposure.

Following inquiries from Dinside, both Kiwi and Rema 1000 swiftly altered their pricing models. Kiwi communications manager Nora Mile Helgesen confirmed that the chain updated the refill rates immediately upon discovering the discrepancy, noting that the original spray discounts stemmed from regular market price checks. Rema 1000 communications adviser Anders Midtbø similarly stated that the chain reduced the price of the refill pouches to match the heavily discounted spray bottles after conceding that the initial gap had widened excessively.