Norwegian IT company wants to become the largest in the Nordic region
Every year, Norwegian hotels, restaurants and canteens order goods worth billions. The trading volume is growing, and this despite the fact that the industry has been hit hard in the last two years.
In catering establishments throughout the country, pallets of uniforms, soaps, cutlery, pasta, tomatoes, bread and champagne are bought in - yes, everything that is needed to welcome hungry breakfast, lunch and dinner guests. The goods that are ordered come from all possible manufacturers and wholesalers, which in turn are delivered by various suppliers. The logistics behind it are complex, and the purchasing system used is crucial for the trade to work for all parties.
This is (almost) what a group of IT entrepreneurs predicted 20 years ago. They saw that there was a lack of a system that handled the trade between buyer and supplier in the hotel and restaurant industry. Today they run Millum, which is Norway's largest purchasing system for hotels and restaurants.
Specially adapted for hotels and restaurants
There is no reason to believe that markets outside Norway does not need the same services as here at home. We know they do. We also know that no one, neither in Sweden, Denmark nor Finland, offers an equally well-functioning purchasing system that is specialized for this industry. Our competitors are either large, generic procurement solutions without special adaptations, or newly established companies without the same, solid technology or knowledge of the industry at the bottom. CEO MillumBjørn Anskau
Millum is already established in Sweden, with customers such as the member organization Nores, Norlandia, Radisson and Nordic Choice Hotels. Before the pandemic, Millum had also just established itself in Denmark, with their Radisson hotels as their first Danish customer. Over the past year, the IT company has noticed that the interest from both new Danish and Swedish actors, in addition to other countries, has increased significantly. Several decision-makers have made contact and are interested in hearing more about what Millum has to offer.
It is of course gratifying that the industry is starting to open its eyes to us internationally - and an opportunity we welcome. We think it is a big advantage that we have such a long experience, a rock-solid system and that we are specially developed for exactly these users. This means that we can offer many functions that the industry needs, and not just be a pure purchasing system.
Some of the functions he is aiming for include CO2 calculation, simple registration of food waste, menu planning and item counting across restaurants in the same chain - and collected recipes. These are functions that have been prepared especially for those who work in hotels, restaurants and canteens, based on their needs.
Central role in the industry
In addition to the purchasing system, Millum also supplies the open database for nutritional content, Matinfo.no, and works closely with Factlines; a company that works to ensure responsible supply chains.
During the pandemic, Millum was among the first IT companies to receive support from Innovation Norway, which confirms their position as an important contributor in several areas of Norwegian business life.
We have built up an important role in Norway's catering industry, as a neutral link and facilitator. I have no doubt that we have all the prerequisites to become the Nordic region's largest purchasing system for hotels, restaurants and canteens within the next five years.
