Now the fast of Ramadan ends with the feast of Eid al-Fitr. But among the flyers from Coop, Lidl, Ica and Willys, there are no clear references to the holiday. At the same time, some of the chains offer extra prices on Ramadan foods such as dates, rice and parsley.

Lidl had offers ahead of Ramadan under the message "Enjoy the world's food" and Willys uses the headline "The world's party".

Willys replies in an email that over the years they have used advertising with "more or less clear connection to Ramadan".

"But this year we chose the title 'The World Party' because it is about goods that are also suitable for those who do not celebrate Ramadan," says Louise Hulgaard, communications officer at Willys.

Believes that minorities are made invisible

David Khabbazi, CEO of the agency The Social Few, which works for inclusion in business, thinks this type of communication is not "entirely optimal".

"The stores' message is based on the belief that this minimizes the risk of perhaps intimidating other customer groups. It may also be related to the fact that three major holidays fall at the same time: Easter, Ramadan and Passover.

The consequence is that minority groups are made invisible and that companies miss revenue, according to Khabbazi.

But the grocery giants want to make as much money as possible, can it really be true that year after year they miss this money?

– Yes, absolutely. There are specialty stores with these goods that have a very high turnover. The big brands lack insight into the purchasing power of minority groups.

Local initiatives

However, the food giants highlight that special investments are being made in selected stores. Among others, Ica.

"We have no central investments in Ramadan this year, but we know that many ICA stores are making their own investments in connection with the holiday," says Christina Lucas, press officer at Ica.

But only making local investments shows a lack of insight into consumers, according to Khabbazi.

"Minority groups are everywhere in Sweden. It is ignorance to believe that these heterogeneous groups are gathered in only certain areas.