Bónus
Encyclopedia
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic no-frills supermarket chain owned by Hagar
Hagar (company)
Hagar is an Icelandic corporation of Baugur Group. Hagar owns retailer and wholesale companies in Iceland, Sweden and Denmark. Each of Hagar's companies is run individually.-Hagar's companies:...
. Bónus operates 24 stores in Iceland and four in the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
. It follows the no-frills format of limited hours, simple shelves and having a giant fridge instead of chiller cabinets.
History
Bónus was started by Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson and his father, Jóhannes JónssonJóhannes Jónsson
Jóhannes Jónsson is an Icelandic businessman and one of the founders of the investment company Baugur Group, which applied for bankruptcy protection in February 2009. He founded the Bónus stores in Iceland in 1989 with his son and president of Baugur Group, Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson....
, with the first store in Skútuvogur street in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
in April, 1989. Within just a few years, the chain became the biggest supermarket chain in Iceland. In 1992, another Icelandic supermarket, Hagkaup
Hagkaup
Hagkaup is an Icelandic hypermarket chain owned by retail company Hagar. Its concept is wide selection of food and non-food products including clothing, electronics, entertainment, seasonal goods and toys.- History :...
, bought a 50% stake. In 1998 the chains merged, but keeping their separate identities, to form Baugur Group
Baugur Group
Baugur Group was an Icelandic investment company. The group applied for bankruptcy protection in February 2009, after placing its UK arm in administration.- History :...
. Bónus and Hagkaup are now both owned by Baugur Groups subdivision Hagar
Hagar (company)
Hagar is an Icelandic corporation of Baugur Group. Hagar owns retailer and wholesale companies in Iceland, Sweden and Denmark. Each of Hagar's companies is run individually.-Hagar's companies:...
.