– Åsane has a wide and good shopping offer. There are shops here that I can’t find in Voss and it’s also easy to park, says Lauritzen.
We are located in the Horisont shopping center. The mother of three pushes her youngest son Edvard (10 months) into a pram with one hand while carrying a large shopping net with the other.
– Right now we are doing a shopping trip while we wait for our Tesla to finish in the workshop here. We can fast charge to Voss, but don’t take the service home, she smiles.
Purchase model modified
BA got exclusive data from DNB, Norway’s largest bank, which shows where people from Bergen and Norway most often draw their bank cards. The numbers might surprise you.
While people living in the Bergen municipality leave most of their money in the city center, the buying pattern of people from neighboring municipalities is different:
36% of Westerners living outside Bergen choose Åsane when shopping. The trend has consolidated over the past three years.
– I know many people who travel on errands from Norheimsund and other places to shop at Ikea, says store customer Einar Budalen. He himself has Biltema as a favorite of him.
Ytrebygda, which has multi-billionaire Lagunen Storsenter, ranks solid third among Westerners’ most popular shopping districts. Lagunen had a turnover of NOK 3.9 billion in 2021 and is the largest shopping mall in the country.
– I choose Åsane before Lagunen. Åsane has Ikea, XXL and Hennes & Mauritz, for example. We also like to go to the center of Bergen, but then it’s for eating, going to the theater or to Fløyen, says Vossingen Emely Lauritzen.
This is the way we do it
This is how much DNB customers use their bank cards in Bergen, broken down by district (data 2022):
Westerners living outside Bergen:
- Healthy: 36 percent.
- City center (Bergenhus and Årstad): 32%.
- Suburbs: 14 per cent.
- Laksevåg (including Bergen West): 11 per cent.
- Fana: 3 percent.
- Fillingsdalen: 2 per cent.
- Arna: 2 percent.
Bergen:
- Center (Bergenhus and Årstad): 39 per cent.
- Healthy: 21 percent.
- Suburbs: 18 per cent.
- Laksevåg (including West Bergen): 8 percent.
- Fana: 8 percent.
- Fillingsdalen: 5 per cent.
- Arna: 1 percent.
Source: DNB
The car is important
Bank manager Anne-Linn Carlsen at DNB Bergen Sentrum believes that the consumption figures reflect our transport model.
– People living outside the center of Bergen may want to use the car to a greater extent for a larger shopping trip. Since Åsane is the most popular, big action can play a role. Larger purchases at Ikea and numerous other specialty stores, combined with other commissions, likely play a significant role here, Carlsen tells BA.
He believes that many consumers these days, with rising prices for food, electricity, and rising interest rates, have increased their focus on bigger, financial craziness.
In Åsane, you don’t have to park in the narrow alleys of the city and walk far from the parking lots. Availability in family records is important.
Nightlife tempts
Most Bergen residents still leave a significant portion of their crowns in the districts of Bergenhus and Årstad. Unsurprisingly, this applies to food and beverage, dining and leisure facilities, DNB’s consumer data shows.
– Bergen people prefer the city center because we have a lively and attractive business community with good offers. The local business community has done a great job here. The center of Bergen has a unique atmosphere. Walking around Marken or Skostredet with a wide selection of shops, restaurants and cafes is a very pleasant experience, the bank manager analyzed.
– The city center is not dead
Our spending varies according to age and life situation.
– For a family with young children living outside the center of Bergen, it will be easy to get to Åsane. Parking is easily accessible and the neighborhood has a large and relevant selection. A similar family living in the city center will benefit from the versatile offer there, says Anne-Linn Carlsen.
Steinar Kristoffersen is general manager of Bergen Sentrum AS. He is excited about how much citizens and residents are deciding to leave behind during this year’s holiday shopping, given the high electricity prices, rising interest rates and inflation.
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City center residents shop more in their district (77% of card usage).
– The city center isn’t dead at all. We have most things and a varied offer that is worth spending money on: trade, catering, tours, experiences and accommodation. Here you can have fun and live a good life.
The general center noted that the balance between shops and pubs has changed in recent years.
– Several shops are converted into service areas. There is a limit to the number of night clubs we can have in the city center, so it affects the life of the city during the day. Politicians decide the number of alcohol licenses and have a big influence on which city we should have: a watered-down, elongated city center, or a compact, pulsating city, says Steinar Kristoffersen.
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