Along the E18 towards Sørlandet, more and more department stores and huge shops have appeared in recent years. In Bamble in Telemark, a new giant retail park opened last year at Langrøningen with several retail chains. Bamble trade park at Langrønningen is only about three miles from Brokeland Heia. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news The municipality has now given the green light to even more large shops. – Here is a building of 7,000 square metres, says property developer Vidar Tellefsen. He points around the plot of land where the four new stores will be established. They will sell clothes, sports equipment and furniture. Vidar Ellefsen is developing the commercial areas both in Bamble and at Brokelandheia. He believes that the wholesale trade is a different type of trade than offers in the city centre. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news Delivered by the E18 traffic About three miles south on the E18 lies Brokelandsheia. It is a well-known stop that many people use to shop. – It goes up every single year. The number of customers is increasing, says the mayor of Gjerstad, Steinar Pedersen (H). It is the traffic from the E18 that they live off of here, the mayor believes. – All the other municipalities around us have their own towns. This is our city, our centre, he says. Here, too, they will expand with wholesale and new stores. – It will be a surprise for many. A lot of strange things are going to happen here. We can guarantee that, says business manager Rune Hagestrand. – What Brokelandsheia and Gjerstad municipality live off is the traffic that passes through the village and that stops here, says mayor Steinar Pedersen (H) and business manager Rune Hagestrand. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news – Do you fear competition from other trade areas? – No, we don’t. We cannot do that, then we have lost, says the mayor. City center areas bleed Retail parks along the motorway can have serious consequences for city center areas, points out Aud Tennøy in the Institute of Transport Economics (TØI). She has done a lot of research on the consequences of commercial establishments along motorways in Norway. – If you want a different development than what you see now, you have to take action, says Aud Tennøy in TØI. Photo: Martin Torstveit / news – If there is more trade in one place, there will be less trade in another. Then you can count on the city center bleeding with this type of establishment, she says. She does not think politicians always understand this consequence. – I know that professionals around Norway are working hard to explain to their politicians that if you say yes to a business park outside the city centre, you are simultaneously saying no to an attractive and vibrant city centre, she says. Along the E18 in Bamble in Telemark, a new shopping park opened with several large stores. Here it will be expanded with four large store chains. Lars Tore Endresen The development has happened quietly in quite a few places in Norway, says Tennøy. But it leads to the opposite of goals that have been set nationally, regionally and locally, she points out. – If this development is allowed to continue, many of the goals that have been said are important and will be achieved, will not be achieved. There will be more car traffic, land consumption, and the city center will become less attractive and vibrant, says the researcher. Thinks wholesale would destroy the center Tellefsen, who develops the shopping areas both in Bamble and on Brokelandheia, disagrees. He believes that the retail parks facilitate a completely different type of trade than in the center of the cities. – We could never have those buildings here towards the centre, then we would destroy the centre. So I think it goes perfectly well. What do you think of commercial parks along the motorways? Very nice, I use it all the time. 0% I shop both in the city center and in shopping areas. 0% The poll is closed. 0 votes in total The customers are satisfied People that news meets at the shopping park in Bamble think it’s nice to shop along the motorway. Ingar Ringhus, Dalen i Telemark: I’m going to get a lock for the boy’s boat, and saw that Biltema was here. It is very easy to stop when you are passing by and get what you need. Terje Thorsen, Bamble: I think it’s very nice. Here you get almost everything possible, and then there is good parking. We are a number of famous people who meet here and have a cup of coffee.Simon Rørholt, Bamble: It’s great that they’ve got this here. Here you see the big chains have arrived, and there is no queue to get in and out. Lars Aasberg, Bærum: It is very easy at E18. It’s very quick to just stop, pop in for a walk and find what I need. Published 22.07.2024, at 19.33
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Expands trading areas outside the cities to capture E18 customers – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
