The center trade has suffered as a result of the corona crisis, but now it is starting to pick up again. However, many have large stockpiles of goods that they need to get out.
At Lille Vinkel Shoes in the border in downtown Oslo, they have had to start shoe sales early this year.
– We usually start sales on July 1, but this year we had to start on June 15. We have never started so early, says store manager Anne Kleveland to Nettavisen.
The sale in the store in Grensen came as a result of the stores in Bogstadveien, where Lille Vinkel Sko also has a store, agreed to start sales earlier than usual this year.
– We have a lot of shoes in stock because of the corona crisis, which we have to get out, in addition to hoping the sale attracts customers, she says.
They have had some sales since March, but it is only now that big sales with 40 per cent have started.
– We need the money. We have lost 50-60 per cent in sales in March-May, compared to normal. We are quite far from normal now, says Kleveland.
The lack of tourists in the city also makes it difficult to get enough customers in the store.
– We have a 40 per cent reduction in the number of customers in the store, she says.
She is nevertheless optimistic and believes that this will go well.
SALE: Lille Vinkel Shoes had to start shoe sales earlier this year than they usually do at this time of year.
Photo: Nina Lorvik (Mediehuset Nettavisen)
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Home office causes severe decline
Bjørn Næs, head of the Oslo Trade Stand Association (OHF), says that many in the textile and shoe industry in Oslo have talked about having to start sales early this year.
– We hear that there is a greater need to empty the stocks this year than is usual at this time. These are the aftermaths of the corona crisis, he says.
– They are seasonal, and as we approach the fall, a new batch of goods is coming. In order to clear stocks of summer goods in time, they must start selling on time, he says.
CHANGE: Bjørn Næs is CEO of the Oslo Handelsstands Association, and says he has seen a change in the center trade after the corona crisis struck.
Photo: Oslo Handelsstands Forening
It is mainly in the center of Oslo, and partly also in other large Norwegian cities, that the trade suffers.
– The center trade suffers greatly because many have a home office, and the travel restrictions that cause few are in the center streets. Trade has moved to the outskirts of the city where many people live, says Brother William Stende, industry director for trade union trade in Virke, to Nettavisen.
– There have been few people in the center since March, and that is serious. The stores do not survive this way over time, he points out.
Timber is the main organization of the trade and services industry.
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For the clothing industry, June is the second largest month of sales, while for shoes it often varies when it is the largest turnover. The lack of people in the streets therefore makes it very tough for the downtown trade.
– Trade in the center of Oslo is around 60-70 per cent of normal, and it is impossible to live with, he says.
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Should facilitate measures
Stende believes it is true that more people have started sales earlier this year, but it is also perfectly normal to start sales at the end of June.
– I think, however, many start sales earlier now, because after July 1, it will be even quieter in the center when people go on vacation. Even though the center trade is severely affected, I still believe that the trade in Norway in total will benefit from fewer foreign trips to Norwegians this year, he says.
MUST TAKE ACTION: Brother William Stende, industry director at Virke, believes that some measures must be taken to speed up the downtown trade in Oslo.
Photo: Virke
Still, he points out, it is important to make sure that more people can go to the center to shop.
– It has to be arranged to be able to put the car in the center streets, to help the trade. After all, we have had restrictions on traveling by public transport, and so it must be opened for flexibility in other areas, he says.
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– As normal
Like Little Angle Shoes, Bianco in the border in Oslo also has sales for the time being. But Bianco’s regional manager in the Oslo area, Ida Karlsen, tells Nettavisen that they have not started sales earlier than normal.
– We use to start sales around 17-19. June. It’s going to be great now, ”she tells Nettavisen.
SALE: Several shoe stores are currently selling, here at Bianco in the border in Oslo.
Photo: Nina Lorvik (Mediehuset Nettavisen)
But they also see some decline due to a lack of tourists and office workers in the center, and the turnover was of course characterized by having to close the stores for four weeks in April and May.
– However, we now see that sales are going as normal, as sales were last year at this time, she says.
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Bjørn Næs in the Oslo Commercial Standing Association (OHF) says that they too see that it is starting to pick up and return to normal again.
– We see that it is starting to pick up and normalize itself now, and we are in a positive trend. We saw a change when the restaurants opened again, and when more people could go back to the office as usual, he tells Nettavisen.
– Now opening hours are pretty much the way they usually are, and although things go a little worse for many than normal, things are going the right way, he points out.
