Norwegian discount retailer Rema 1000 is aiming to increase the number of supermarkets it operates in Scandinavia to 1,000.

Rema 1000 currently operates 100 supermarkets in Denmark and 362 in Norway. The chain is to open its first Swedish supermarket at the beginning of April, and plans a further 300 stores each in Denmark and Sweden and 400 stores in Norway.

Rema 1000 reported an operating profit of NKr691m (US$93.5m) and a turnover of NKr26bn for 2002. The company’s debt is currently valued at NKr2.5bn, reported the Norwegian News Digest.