Key team members: Mette Waltorp, General Counsel & Head of Compliance and Attorney‑at‑Law; Sanne Tanja Lund, Senior Legal Counsel and Attorney‑at‑Law; Kasper Clausen, Legal Counsel and Attorney‑at‑Law; Katrine Solhøj Skotte, Compliance Officer.

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

Over the past year, Dagrofa’s legal team has played a central role in supporting the company’s commercial ambitions and strategic direction. While we handle a wide range of legal disciplines, the core of our work lies in enabling the organisation to move confidently toward its strategic goals. Our focus is not merely on delivering legal assessments, but on helping the business make decisions that drive growth, strengthen competitiveness and support long‑term commercial objectives.

Much of our recent work has revolved around providing strategic legal support to major business initiatives, management decisions and ongoing commercial activities. This includes assisting in key negotiations, the development of new commercial structures and supporting leadership in evaluating opportunities and risks. Our involvement is characterised by being present early in processes and shaping solutions together with the business, rather than simply reviewing matters at the end.

In addition, we have supported Dagrofa’s Rural Development & Store Projects department in their community‑driven initiatives, providing contracts, legal guidance and strategic sparring. These projects involve partnerships where local citizens play an active role in establishing or securing access to essential retail services in smaller communities, and our involvement has ensured that the legal frameworks were both robust and practically workable.

During the past year, we have been engaged in several transactions that have been important for Dagrofa’s continued development. One of the major projects during the year was our involvement in Dagrofa’s acquisition of Årstiderne, where we supported the process from early assessments to negotiation and execution. Our work focused on ensuring a smooth and commercially aligned transaction that supported the strategic rationale behind the acquisition.

These have included acquisitions, divestments and transactions involving elements of our real estate portfolio. In these processes, we work closely with management and relevant stakeholders to ensure seamless execution — from due diligence and negotiations to closing and integration. Our contribution is guided by a pragmatic approach: identifying what is essential, finding solutions that support the business case, and ensuring that the commercial rationale is preserved throughout the transaction.

In addition, we have supported the organisation in matters involving competition law, data protection and compliance. These areas frequently interact with commercial decisions, and our role has been to make complex regulatory frameworks manageable and operational. This includes advising on commercial initiatives where competition considerations are relevant, guiding the organisation on appropriate information handling, and assisting with GDPR‑related assessments and process improvements. Our aim is to balance compliance with operational realities so the business can move forward safely and efficiently.

We also contributed actively to the Competition and Consumer Authority’s sector inquiry into the Danish grocery market by supporting the process with extensive data collection, interviews and preparation of documentation. This work required close coordination across the organisation and ensured that Dagrofa’s perspectives were accurately and transparently represented.

Across all of these areas, our most significant contribution is not any single case or matter, but the continuous partnership with the organisation: ensuring that key decisions are made on a solid legal foundation that supports Dagrofa’s strategic priorities.

How does your team contribute to the overall business strategy of the company?

Our legal team views itself as an integrated part of Dagrofa’s strategic engine. We work side by side with the business and management, ensuring that legal considerations actively support — rather than limit — strategic progress. Our contribution lies in understanding the commercial dynamics of Dagrofa’s operations and translating legal insights into concrete opportunities, risk‑balanced decisions and clear paths forward.

We are involved early in strategic discussions, helping management evaluate initiatives, assess risks and clarify the frameworks that will enable the company to reach its goals. Whether it concerns commercial collaborations, investments, operational decisions or corporate development, we focus on solutions that align with Dagrofa’s ambitions for growth, competitiveness and operational excellence.

A defining element of our approach is our ability to connect legal perspectives with commercial reality. We do not work as a separate advisory unit; instead, we are embedded in the business and ensure that legal advice is practical, action‑oriented and tailored to the organisation’s needs. By offering clear guidance and helping to prioritise between legal, operational and strategic considerations, we enable the business to make fast, well‑founded decisions. This strategic integration ensures that legal considerations strengthen, rather than slow down, the organisation’s ability to deliver on its ambitions.

What factors influence your decision to use external legal services?

While most legal matters are handled internally, we collaborate with external advisors in situations requiring specialised expertise, independent assessments or additional capacity. This is particularly relevant in complex transactions, specialised regulatory questions or sensitive matters where external validation is essential. When selecting external counsel, we emphasise the ability to deliver commercially oriented, pragmatic advice that fits Dagrofa’s way of working. We expect advisors to understand our business model, decision‑making processes and market conditions, so their input strengthens our internal strategic work. Responsiveness, clarity and the ability to deliver pragmatic solutions are key evaluation criteria.

How does your team approach talent development and knowledge sharing?

Our team works closely and collaboratively across subject areas, which naturally promotes continuous knowledge sharing. Because our work covers a broad range of legal and commercial disciplines, we place great emphasis on sharing insights and experiences across the team. We do this through internal briefings, discussions of new case law, emerging regulatory developments and coordination on ongoing matters. In this way, legal insights are continuously translated into practical knowledge that supports the organisation’s commercial and strategic work.

We also prioritise professional development through external training, networks and opportunities that strengthen both legal expertise and business understanding. Our ambition is to maintain a team that is not only legally strong, but also commercially minded and capable of supporting Dagrofa’s strategic direction.