Foto: BB.LV / в магазине Рими
This was reported by a viewer of the TV24 program "Uz līnijas". According to her, a similar situation is observed in several stores of the chain, including in Jelgava and Dobele. I myself had the chance to experience the "conveniences" of Rimi's reformatting in Riga on Pulkvieža Street. Henriks Danusevičs, president of the Latvian Traders Association, suggested that what is happening may be related to the change of ownership of Rimi. In June 2025, the Danish company Salling Group acquired Rimi Baltic for 1.3 billion euros. Prior to that, the chain had been owned by the Swedish ICA Gruppen since 2007. Danusevičs noted that in other markets, Salling Group is more focused on stores with affordable prices, while Rimi has traditionally positioned itself in the mid and higher price segments. According to the expert, it is still unclear what strategy the new owner will choose. The uncertainty surrounding future changes may also be reflected in the operation of the stores. However, Danusevičs did not specify any concrete reasons for the reorganization. He also reminded that there are grocery stores of several dozen brands operating in Latvia, so customers have the opportunity to choose the most convenient options. ## ## What Did the New Owner Promise? After acquiring Rimi Baltic, the Danish company assured that it would maintain the familiar concept of the chain and continue its development. Among the priorities were expanding the assortment, improving price offerings, and creating more comfortable conditions for customers. At the time of the deal, Rimi Baltic included 314 stores in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, and the number of employees exceeded 11,000. Changes in the assortment began in the fall of 2025. In September, the first batch of products under the Salling private label arrived at the Riga logistics center. By the end of October, it was planned to present 123 product items—from pasta, coffee, and cookies to household and hygiene products. Some of the new items were supposed to replace products from the previous supplier ICA Gruppen, while about a third represented completely new products. At that time, Rimi explained that the assortment update would allow offering customers more products with an attractive price-to-quality ratio. However, so far, some store visitors notice primarily something else: familiar products have to be searched for anew, and a shopping trip turns into a kind of quest.
