Ever since 1922 the State Wine Monopoly remained wholly in charge of the production and import of wine and spirits in Norway.
From 1 January 1996 it relinquished control of these areas and, in its present state, operates as a nationwide retail chain
of stores.
Arcus AS was established from the same date. Arcus was initially state owned, but by means of partial privatisation in 2000
and further downward sale in 2003, it came into private hands from 1 January 2004. From 1 January 2005 the monopoly scheme
for the production of spirits in Norway was abolished, so that it is now fully competitive in the production and import chains
of wines and spirits in Norway.
Arcus now ensures the integrity of and develops Norwegian spirits production based on traditions gained from the old stills
and distilleries. Arcus is a subsidiary of Arcus Gruppen AS, and markets its own Norwegian brands of spirits and wines in
the domestic market of Scandinavia. We export Norwegian spirits to a number of countries, with Germany and the USA as our
key markets.
Arcus Gruppen AS is now Norway’s largest total supplier of wines and spirits and the biggest privately owned wine and spirits
player in Scandinavia. Our major shareholder is the Swedish investment company Ratos AB.