Kenneth Karlsson reaches for the salmon on the top shelf. He gets his fist in his favourite.
– Hot smoked salmon, that’s good, that, he says.
SWEDISH TRADE: Kenneth Karlsson prefers the prices in Norway. Store manager at Kiwi Halden Henrik Norum-Johansen offers good advice. Photo: Martin Berg Isaksen / TV 2
Karlsson is one of many Swedes who now travel to Norway to shop.
Bread, nappies, vegetables and fish are among the goods that are cheaper in Norway than in Sweden now.
– It is expensive in Sweden. Twice as expensive, says Saadaq Alas, holding out the salmon packet.
CUSTOMERS: Saadaq Alas and Nuur Ibrahim often travel to Norway to make large purchases. Photo: Martin Berg Isaksen / TV 2
He and his friend have driven from Bengtsfors to buy cheap Norwegian fish.
The shopping carts overflow with frozen salmon. Today’s catch consists of dozens of packages.
Just beyond, Asgeir Skaar from Ed is cutting bread. He buys many when he is first in Norway.
– I have bought ten loaves of bread, so this will last a month or more, he says.
BREAD BUYING: Asgeir Skaar prefers Norwegian over Swedish bread. They are also cheaper. Photo: Martin Berg Isaksen / TV 2
Massive price increase
The Swedes’ entry is linked to a massive price increase in Sweden.
According to The Statistics Authority of Swedenwhich corresponds to Statistics Norway in Norway, the price of food and non-alcoholic drinks has risen by over 20 per cent in the past year.
It is the highest increase in one year in Sweden since the 1950s.
The Swedish prices rise twice as much as the Norwegian ones.
In Norway, by comparison, the price increase was 8.8 per cent, according to Statistics Norway.
The massive Swedish price increase has actually led to Sweden’s Finance Minister calling the grocery chains to a meeting to find a solution, according to The Express.
FOOD: Swedish prices have increased much more than Norwegian prices in the past year. Photo: Martin Berg Isaksen / TV 2
Meet more Swedes
The price crisis in Sweden is good news for Kiwi Halden, which is located close to the Swedish border.
It is sometimes challenging to run a Norwegian shop on the border with Sweden. But at Kiwi Halden, they have done well lately.
– We have had very good growth after Kiwi chose not to raise prices on 1 February and an increase in Swedish customers, says store manager Henrik Norum-Johansen.
CHIEF: Merchant Henrik Norum-Johansen is satisfied with the turnover at Kiwi in Halden. Photo: Martin Berg Isaksen / TV 2
He sees that more and more Swedes are visiting the store.
TV 2 has also been in contact with Rema 1000. They also notice the approach from the Swedes.
– Yes, our shops at the border have marked a few more Swedish customers. They usually buy what most Swedes buy when they are with us: bread, brown cheese, butter, fish balls, frozen prawns, nappies, mackerel, cod liver oil, fruit and vegetables, says Irmelin Stølen, regional director for Eastern Østland.
REMA: Irmelin Stølen, regional director for Eastern Østland in Rema 1000 says they see more of the Swedes now. Photo: Rema 1000.
Changed shopping pattern
Norum-Johansen says that the Swedes now also seem to be changing their shopping patterns.
– Before, you could see very easily on the shopping cart that they were Swedish. They only bought certain items that have always been cheaper in Norway, says Norum-Johansen.
BREAD: Kneipp bread is popular among Swedes, according to the store manager. Photo: Martin Berg Isaksen / TV 2
The store manager highlights kneipp bread, mackerel in tomato, nappies and butter as examples of this.
But the sharp price increase is causing the Swedes to now take a larger part of their action in Norway.
– That is probably the main reason why more Swedes are considering shopping more in Norway. Now the Swedes act more generally than they have done before, says Norum-Johansen.
