Narvesens Kioskkompagni (the name later shortened to Narvesen) was established by the businessman and merchant Bertrand Narvesen (1860–1939) who in 1894 received approval from Norwegian State Railways to take over the sale of all newspapers, magazines, and travel literature on its stations. Narvesen became a nationwide joint stock company in 1928.[5]
Today Narvesen also operates 249 stores in Latvia[6] and a further 260 stores in Lithuania, where it shares market with Lietuvos spauda [lt], also owned by Reitangruppen since 2012.[7][8]
Narvesen's presence in Latvia began in 1997, and greatly expanded when the company acquired the Preses apvienība chain of kiosks in 2000.[9] The chain had a market share of 41% in 2020.[10]
