Selling into Denmark through distributors

How the market buys

Denmark has two places to watch. Contracts above the EU thresholds are published on TED. Below them, the national site is udbud.dk, which, according to the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority (Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen), collects Danish public tenders in one place. Buyers must publish there any purchase of goods or services worth at least DKK 100,000 but below the EU thresholds when the contract has a clear cross-border interest, and they may publish smaller contracts voluntarily. EU-level notices can no longer be created on udbud.dk; they go to TED.

The state, the regions and the municipalities all buy, and the state must also announce its expected future purchases on udbud.dk. For a manufacturer the practical question is not how to bid but who already wins: where the award notices name a Danish wholesaler or specialist distributor rather than a manufacturer, that company is the route in.

Language is rarely the first obstacle. Denmark ranks 7th of 123 countries and regions in the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index, so a well-prepared approach in English will normally be understood. Expect to provide Danish material later for the distributor's own customers.

Lawful first contact

Denmark is strict on e-mail. Section 10(1) of the Marketing Practices Act (markedsføringsloven) says a trader may not approach anyone by electronic mail, an automated calling system or fax for direct marketing unless that person has given prior consent. Forbrugerombudsmanden, the Consumer Ombudsman, sets out in its spam guidance that the ban applies to every recipient, whether the message goes to a consumer, a business or a public authority, because the provision says "anyone". It makes no difference whether you write to a general mailbox such as info@company.dk, to a main mailbox, or to a named director or employee.

Two further points from the guidance matter for a foreign manufacturer. First, a business that sends electronic marketing aimed at Danish recipients is covered by the Danish ban whether or not it is established in Denmark. Second, consent has to be a voluntary, informed, unambiguous and specific indication given before the first message, and it must be possible to withdraw it easily and free of charge. The only exception is narrow and concerns marketing to former customers, so it does not help with a first approach to a distributor you have never dealt with.

What works: a short letter by post to the managing director — the e-mail ban in section 10(1) covers electronic mail, automated calls and fax, not paper — with a one-page summary of your range and a clear reason why it fits what the distributor already sells, and, because it is addressed to a named person, a clear line saying they can refuse further marketing and how to do so free of charge (section 10(6)); a visit or a stand at the sector's trade fair; an introduction through an association, a buying group or an existing partner. When a distributor writes to you first, reply promptly and completely; if you want to send it marketing by e-mail after that, ask for its consent in the exchange and keep a record of it.

What local distributors expect

Before a Danish distributor takes on a new manufacturer, expect it to ask for:

• Product information it can hand to Danish customers: English technical files to start, then Danish instructions, price lists and marketing material.
• Conformity evidence for the category: CE marking and declarations of conformity where the product is regulated, test reports against the standards buyers specify, and safety information.
• A clear commercial offer: margin, territory (Denmark alone or together with other Nordic markets), who serves which accounts, and a stated position on exclusivity.
• Reliable lead times, stock within reach, and a plan for spare parts and returns.
• Precision: short, accurate answers, and commitments that are kept.

How to enter, step by step

1. Find who already wins your category. In TED's advanced search, set the buyer country to Denmark, the notice type to results and add your CPV codes; the companies named in the award notices are your shortlist. Cresques runs this search for the CPV categories you choose. Below the EU thresholds, watch udbud.dk, where contracts of DKK 100,000 or more with a clear cross-border interest must be announced.
2. Check whether SKI covers your category. SKI (Staten og Kommunernes Indkøbsservice) is a central procurement organisation owned by the Danish State and Local Government Denmark (KL) that offers procurement services to the Danish public sector. It awards its agreements under EU and Danish tendering rules and says it shapes its tenders so that many small and medium-sized enterprises can compete; where an SKI agreement covers your category, its suppliers are the companies to approach.
3. Prepare documentation in two stages. An English technical file to start, then Danish instructions, price lists and marketing material for the distributor's own customers.
4. Assemble conformity evidence. CE marking and declarations of conformity where the product is regulated, test reports against the standards buyers specify, and safety information.
5. Make the first contact on paper, at a fair or through an introduction. The ban in section 10(1) covers e-mail, automated calls and fax, not paper: send a short letter by post to the managing director with a one-page summary of your range and a clear reason why it fits. A letter addressed to a named person must, the first time, state clearly that they can refuse further marketing from you and offer an easy, free way to do so, and you may not write again once they have refused or if they are on the CPR register's marketing opt-out (section 10(4) and (6)). Or visit or exhibit at the sector's trade fair, or ask an association, a buying group or an existing partner to introduce you.
6. Prepare the first meeting. Bring margin, territory (Denmark alone or with other Nordic markets), who serves which accounts and a stated position on exclusivity, plus reliable lead times, stock within reach and a plan for spare parts and returns. Keep answers short and accurate.
7. Follow up and record consent. When a distributor writes to you, reply promptly and completely. Before sending it marketing by e-mail, ask for its consent in the exchange, keep a record, and make withdrawal easy and free.

Where the evidence comes from

Above the EU thresholds — EUR 140,000 for supplies and services bought by central government bodies and EUR 216,000 for other public authorities from 1 January 2026 — Danish buyers must publish contract award notices, and those notices appear on TED, the online supplement to the Official Journal of the EU. Each notice names the winning company and carries CPV codes, so the distributors that repeatedly win, for example, hospital consumables or school furniture contracts across Danish regions and municipalities can be identified from the public record. Smaller contracts with a clear cross-border interest are announced on udbud.dk.

Cresques reads the award notices for the CPV categories you choose and shows who already sells that category in Denmark. It does not help you bid for the contracts; the notices are evidence of who the buyers already trust, and the lawful first contact above is how you reach them without a complaint to the Consumer Ombudsman.