Nordic House Cape Town

13/09/2026

A lovely Memorial for King Harald V of Norway was held today. ❤️🇳🇴

Norwegian Embassy in Pretoria Sjømannskirken i Afrika Geir Tellefsen

11/09/2026

THREE YEARS of Nordic Second Thursdays! 🇩🇰🇫🇮🇮🇸🇳🇴🇸🇪

Three years, every single month, and not one Nordic Second Thursday missed!

Last night we celebrated this very special milestone at The Planet Bar at Mount Nelson, surrounded by familiar faces, newcomers, great conversations and the wonderful community that makes these evenings what they are.

We really do have a very special group of Nordics here in the Mother City, part of what has grown into the largest Nordic network in Africa. A huge thank you to everyone who has joined us, supported us, and helped build this community over the past three years.

37 Second Thursdays and counting :-) Here is to many more!

08/09/2026

Nordic Second Thursdays is happening this week! And we are celebrating our 3-year anniversary of these wonderful gatherings! 🇩🇰🇫🇮🇮🇸🇳🇴🇸🇪🇿🇦

After a lovely first gathering at our new venue last month, we are heading back to The Planet Bar at Mount Nelson for round two.

Join us for another relaxed evening of Nordic-South African connection, conversation and community. Catch up with familiar faces, make new connections, expand your network, or simply come along for a drink.

🗓️ Thursday, 10 September
🕕 From 18:00 onwards
📍 The Planet Bar at Mount Nelson, 76 Orange Street, Cape Town
💬 Free entry, simply pay for what you eat and drink

No formal programme, no agenda, just good people and great conversation.

Members and guests are all welcome, so bring someone along and join us for our second Nordic Second Thursday at our new home.

See you at The Planet Bar!

08/09/2026

Danish cinema takes centre stage in South Africa this September!

The 13th European Film Festival South Africa returns from 17 to 27 September 2026, bringing some of the best of contemporary European cinema to Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban.

We are especially excited to see Denmark opening this year’s festival with Den sidste viking (The Last Viking), the highly anticipated dark comedy from Oscar-winning director Anders Thomas Jensen, starring Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas.

The film opens the festival on 17 September, kicking off 10 days of European storytelling exploring this year’s theme, family in all its messy, complex and beautiful forms.

🇩🇰 A fantastic opportunity to celebrate Danish creativity and filmmaking on the South African stage.

🗓️ 17 to 27 September 2026
📍 Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban

Explore the full festival lineup and start planning what to see:
https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/2026-home/films/

04/09/2026

A South African business story worth watching.

Bidcorp, the food distribution group that grew out of the Bidvest stable, generated R242.2 billion (EUR 13 billion) in revenue last year, supplying restaurants, canteens, hotels and caterers across more than 35 countries.

But perhaps the more interesting story is how it has grown, and what comes next.
Bidcorp has built its international footprint by acquiring strong local distributors, keeping local management and expertise in place, while creating efficiencies across areas such as finance, compliance, IT and HR.

Five acquisitions across five countries contributed just R2.7 billion of its R242.2 billion revenue last year. Now, after years of being known as a serial acquirer, Bidcorp says its focus is shifting towards organic growth, selling more to existing customers across the markets where it already operates.

For us at Nordic House, this offers an interesting lesson for any business looking beyond its home market. International growth does not always mean replacing what is local. Sometimes the opportunity lies in keeping local knowledge, relationships and entrepreneurship intact, while building the infrastructure around them to scale.

A fascinating South African example of local strength meeting global reach.

(Images courtesy of Bidcorp)

02/09/2026

Something interesting is brewing in South African retail!

Shoprite has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire 100% of Vida e Caffè, bringing one of Africa’s best-known coffee brands, with approximately 400 stores, into Africa’s largest retail group. The transaction is still subject to regulatory and other conditions.

At first glance, coffee and grocery retail might seem like an unusual combination. Strategically, it makes a lot of sense.

Shoprite has become exceptionally good at building an ecosystem around its customers, spanning grocery retail, Checkers Sixty60, Xtra Savings, financial services and more. Vida brings an established food and beverage brand, while Shoprite brings extraordinary scale.

The announcement also comes alongside Shoprite’s agreement to acquire a 51% stake in technology and payments business R&A Cellular.

Two very different acquisitions, but arguably the same strategy: meet customers more often, in more places, across more parts of their everyday lives.

The modern consumer relationship is increasingly spread across groceries, convenience, food, delivery, loyalty and financial services; Shoprite appears to be building for all of them.

For Nordic and international businesses looking at South Africa, moves like this are worth watching. They show a consumer market that continues to evolve, consolidate and create new opportunities for partnerships and growth.

Something interesting to watch :-)

Read more: https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/872984/shoprite-buys-major-coffee-brand-in-south-africa-with-400-stores-across-the-country

(Images courtesy of Shoprite Holdings and Vida e Caffè)

18/08/2026

A warm winter evening, a beautiful new setting, and a fantastic Nordic House crowd. 🇩🇰 🇫🇮 🇮🇸 🇳🇴 🇸🇪 🇿🇦

We loved hosting our first Nordic Second Thursdays at The Planet Bar at Mount Nelson, with drinks and conversation spilling out onto the terrace.

It was wonderful to see familiar faces alongside plenty of newcomers, including Cape Town’s very own rally driver, Max Smart, bringing a little extra speed to the evening!
Thank you to everyone who joined us, and we look forward to seeing you at the next Nordic Second Thursdays in September.

Reminder: Nordic Second Thursdays will now be permanently held at the Planet Bar. Find out more here: https://www.nordichouse.co.za/events

Tak! :-)

12/08/2026

Nordic Second Thursdays is back tomorrow, 13 August and we have a new permanent home!

Join us from 18:00 at The Planet Bar at Mount Nelson, our new venue for Nordic Second Thursdays.

Come along to reconnect, meet new people and grow your Nordic–South African network in a relaxed setting. There is no formal programme – just good conversation and a welcoming community.

📅 Thursday, 13 August
🕕 From 18:00
📍 The Planet Bar, Mount Nelson, 76 Orange Street, Cape Town
🎟 Free entry – simply pay for what you eat and drink

Members and guests are all welcome.

We look forward to seeing you at our new home tomorrow!

09/08/2026

06/08/2026

South Africa's plant-based food sector is evolving rapidly, presenting growing opportunities across retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and food innovation.

Some notable market insights:

- The market is now worth more than R10.5 billion and is growing at 10.5% annually.

- Vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian consumers now represent an estimated 10–12% of South Africa's consumer base.

- More than 80 plant-based milk products are available across mainstream retailers, making dairy alternatives the country's fastest-growing plant-based category.

- Convenience food consumption has increased by more than 33% since 2019, contributing to a 16.7% increase in plant-based main dishes on quick-service restaurant menus.

- Despite this momentum, only 31% of consumers are aware of the plant-based options available to them, highlighting a significant opportunity for stronger marketing and menu visibility.

At Nordic House, we are exploring how Nordic and South African businesses can collaborate to unlock opportunities in this fast-growing sector.

Contact us if you are curious to hear more: [email protected]