ICA and the Swedish Red Cross have launched a nationwide in-store preparedness campaign across Sweden, using the supermarket network to help households understand how to prepare for disruptions to food, power, water and other essential services.
The initiative runs from 21 to 27 September during Sweden’s preparedness week and will place Red Cross representatives in ICA stores around the country under the campaign message “Preppa för det oväntade”, or “Prepare for the unexpected”.
For the grocery sector, the campaign highlights the role supermarkets can play during emergencies beyond their normal retail function. ICA’s large local footprint means food stores can act as supply points, information channels and community hubs when ordinary services are disrupted.
Grocery Trade News already includes ICA as the leading operator in its analysis of supermarket chains in Sweden, making the retailer’s national store network particularly relevant to resilience planning.
ICA said it has supported the Swedish Red Cross for 30 years. The latest initiative focuses specifically on household preparedness and the practical steps consumers can take before an emergency occurs.
Possible disruptions highlighted by the campaign include flooding, storms, fires, power cuts and water shortages. The emphasis is on helping households cope for longer without immediate outside support, reducing pressure on emergency services and allowing assistance to be directed towards people with the greatest need.
Swedish Red Cross secretary general Ulrika Modéer said both organisations have extensive local networks that can respond quickly during a crisis and also play a preventive role by improving public knowledge before an emergency happens.
ICA Gruppen chief executive Nina Jönsson said the group’s reach gives it a wider role in national preparedness. ICA said its network includes close to 1,300 stores and more than 400 pharmacies, giving the group a presence across much of Sweden.
That footprint extends the preparedness discussion beyond food alone. ICA highlighted access to groceries, medicines and secure payment solutions as three areas where its businesses can support communities during disruption.
The retailer also said it wants to help households prepare by making relevant products available while supporting the Red Cross in raising awareness of home preparedness.
The campaign has a practical in-store component rather than operating only through advertising. Local Red Cross volunteers and ICA retailers will meet customers directly in stores during the week, allowing preparedness advice to be delivered where households already buy many of the products they may need in an emergency.
That makes supermarkets a natural point of contact for guidance on items such as shelf-stable food, drinking water, lighting, batteries, hygiene products and other basic supplies, although the campaign itself is broader than a single emergency-shopping list.
ICA’s involvement also reflects the growing attention being paid to food-system resilience in Sweden. Major grocery retailers depend on logistics centres, transport networks, electricity, refrigeration, payment infrastructure and supplier continuity, making preparedness an operational issue as well as a public-information issue.
The company’s 2025 reporting already identified preparedness as an important area for the group, including cooperation between retailers, civil society and public authorities around food resilience.
The latest campaign brings that work directly into stores and gives consumers a more visible role in the preparedness chain.
ICA and the Swedish Red Cross will continue the activity through 27 September, with the in-store programme forming part of the wider national preparedness week.
Editor’s Note: This article is based on an ICA Gruppen and Swedish Red Cross announcement published on 21 September 2026. Network figures and campaign details are those supplied by ICA Gruppen. Additional context was checked against ICA Gruppen’s published reporting and Grocery Trade News’ Sweden supermarket coverage.
