Rønne Netto installs backup generator to stay open during power outages

A Netto supermarket in Rønne, Bornholm, is now equipped with an automatic backup generator that can keep the store operational for at least two days during a power outage, DR reports.

The generator, part of a national preparedness initiative by Salling Group, activates within 30 seconds of a blackout and restores full functionality to the store within five minutes. This ensures customers can continue purchasing all products, including frozen and refrigerated goods—unlike during Bornholm’s January blackout, when such items were unavailable.

“We’ll be able to stay open for two days in a crisis, as long as it’s safe,” said store manager Jan Gross. The Rønne location is one of the first three emergency-ready stores in Denmark, alongside others in Ribe and Vejle.

Salling Group plans to establish 51 such preparedness stores nationwide by the end of 2027, covering approximately 80% of the population within a 50-kilometre radius. The Rønne Netto will be Bornholm’s only designated emergency store, with contingency plans in place to redistribute stock from other island locations if needed.