Norwegian entrepreneur Stein Erik Hagen, founder of the Rimi store chain and majority shareholder of the Orkla group, has died at the age of 69.
Stein Erik Hagen fundamentally changed the grocery retail industry in Norway by founding the first discount store Rimi in 1977. He became one of the richest and most socially active entrepreneurs in Norway. On Monday, he passed away at the age of 69 in his home in Oslo due to a severe heart attack.
Through his investment company Canica, Hagen owned 25% of Orkla's shares. He had been on the company's board of directors since 2004 and had chaired it since 2006.
As is known in Latvia, Orkla owns the production of Laima and Ādažu Čipsi in Ādaži, Staburadze in Riga on Artillerijas Street, the Laima chocolate museum, and much more.
Hagen was also active in politics and was known as a major sponsor of the Conservative Party of Norway.
Hagen's ex-wife, Mille-Mari Træshov, was considered in Norway the closest person to aristocracy, and their marriage made them one of the most influential couples in the country. They divorced in 2012.
After his divorce from Træshov, Hagen came out and supported the LGBT rights movement. Last autumn, he married Bendik Skinningrud for the third time in the Holmenkollen chapel in Oslo.
The entrepreneur was also active in the art world, acquiring and donating paintings, sculptures, and even unusual light installations.
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