An Estonian retailer to buy the Finnish-owned Prisma stores

Coop Estonia, the country’s largest domestic food retailer, is to buy the 13 Estonian stores operated by Prisma Peremarket from its Finnish owner, SOK, in a deal that will strengthen Coop’s position in Tallinn and reshape the supermarket sector.

The agreement, signed by Coop Estonia and SOK, Finland’s largest cooperative retail group, remains subject to approval by the Estonian Competition Authority. The parties have not disclosed the value of the transaction, although it is being described as the largest domestic retail deal in Estonia’s history.

The significance of the sale lies not merely in its scale, but in its direction: an Estonian company is buying the local store operations of a long-established Finnish retailer. If approved, the transaction will bring one of Estonia’s best-known foreign supermarket chains under domestic ownership, even though the Prisma brand itself is not included in the deal.

A bigger foothold in Tallinn

For Coop, the acquisition offers a more substantial foothold in Tallinn, where its presence has long been more modest than elsewhere in the country. Nationally, the cooperative is the market leader, with 2024 revenue of €856.1 million and a market share of 23.16 per cent. Even after the transaction, however, Coop says its share in the capital will rise only to a little above 15 per cent, still below its national average.

The timing is notable. Estonia has endured a difficult spell of elevated inflation, driven in part by tax rises and higher food and energy prices. Annual consumer price inflation stood at 3.1 per cent in February 2026, after averaging around 5 per cent in 2025 according to the Bank of Estonia, while food prices in January were 2.3 per cent higher than in the previous month alone. In such a climate, competition, pricing and the breadth of supermarket assortments carry greater political and household significance than they might in calmer times.

Rainer Rohtla, chairman of the board of Coop Estonia, said the transaction would allow the two retailers’ respective strengths to be combined. Prisma, he noted, is known for its distinctive Scandinavian assortment, while Coop’s own strength lies in its extensive national network and strong representation of Estonian-made products.

“Prisma’s assortment is diverse and distinctive. We want to bring products widely loved by customers across Scandinavia closer to a much larger share of Estonian consumers through Coop Estonia’s extensive store network,” Rohtla said. He added that Estonian-made goods sold through Coop would also be introduced more broadly in Prisma stores.

A wider Estonian-Finnish retail partnership

The agreement goes beyond the sale of the shops themselves. Once the transaction takes effect, Coop Estonia and SOK also intend to pursue broader strategic cooperation, which they say could widen consumer choice in Estonia and help Estonian products gain greater access to Scandinavian markets.

Hannu Krook, president and chief executive of SOK, said the Finnish group regarded Coop as the natural partner in Estonia, citing the two organisations’ shared cooperative heritage and similar values.

Under the planned structure, the acquired stores will not be managed directly by Coop Estonia itself, but by regional consumer cooperatives. Nine of Prisma’s 13 stores in Tallinn and Harju County are expected to be operated by Coop Harju, while the remaining stores will be run by regional cooperatives in Tartu, Rapla and Narva.

The transaction does not include the Prisma brand or Sokos Hotel Viru. Until the Competition Authority grants approval, the two chains will continue to operate separately in Estonia. Approval is expected during 2026.

Prisma Peremarket has operated in Estonia since 2000 and employs more than 700 people, including support staff. Its parent company, SOK, belongs to Finland’s S Group, the country’s largest retail organisation.