Lidl to leave Norway after four years

OSLO, Norway, March 14 (UPI) -- Discount retailer Lidl is leaving Norway after four years and numerous skirmishes with local politicians and zoning boards, it was announced Friday.

The large retailer is selling all 50 of its Norway outlets to the grocery chain REMA 1,000.

The German company had difficulty fitting in to the more open Norwegian style of doing business, Aftenposten reported.

Norwegians, wary of the competition with a large discount chain, reportedly did all they could to block Lidl by turning down zoning requests and refusing it permission to build free-standing stores, the report said.

A company spokesman said Lidl had "full confidence" that the grocery chain would "carry out our obligations toward Lidl's employees, our customers and our major suppliers."