The case in summary: Center manager Ståle Løvheim confirms that cross-border trade has picked up again after the pandemic and reached new heights. Food store Nordby supermarket had a turnover of NOK 145 million in July. Store manager Patrik Zäll believes that the varying weather has contributed to a good summer season, with meat and fresh produce being the most popular products. NHO Mat og drikke wants equal conditions of competition, since much of the Norwegian trade takes place on the Swedish side of the border. In total, there were 931,000 visitors to Nordby shopping center in July. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. It has been sunny and warm in Strömstad for the first few days of August, but July offered more varied weather. And bad weather often means that more people take a trip across the border to shop. Nordby shopping center is the machine itself in cross-border trade. In recent years, the collection of shops has a turnover of over NOK 4 billion annually. After a few difficult pandemic years, cross-border trade has picked up again and reached new heights, confirms center manager Ståle Løvheim. Nordby shopping center in Strömstad had over 900,000 visitors in July. Most Norwegians. Photo: Sebastian Nordli/news More records for falls In total, the collection of stores had a turnover of NOK 600 million in the month of July alone. Which is an increase of 2 percent from 2023. – Best July turnover ever, according to center manager Løvheim. The grocery store Nordby supermarket is also experiencing big numbers. In July, they had a turnover of NOK 145 million. – July has been a fantastic period. We see that it is the best July we have ever had in terms of sales, says store manager Patrik Zäll. The store manager of Nordby supermarket is delighted that Norwegians shop across the border. Photo: Lars Håkon Pedersen / Lars Håkon Pedersen He believes the weather, with sun one day and rain the other, has given them a good summer season. – We are happy that there is variable weather, it benefits our shops, that one day you can be at the beach and the next go shopping. In the summer, there is one product group that clearly stands out and ends up in Norwegians’ shopping baskets. – For us, meat and fresh produce are the big products in the summer – everyone wants to grill, says Zäll. Wants equal competitive conditions Næringslivets Hovedorganisationen (NHO) is Norway’s largest association for companies. Managing director of NHO Mat og drikke Petter Haas Brubaak says they are keen to have equal competitive conditions, when so much of Norwegian trade takes place on the Swedish side of the border. Petter Haas Brubaak is managing director of NHO Mat og drikke. They are working to bring the Norwegian taxes down to a Swedish level. Photo: Ilja C. Hendel / Ilja C. Hendel | NHO Mat og Drikke – Our Danish friends have reduced their fees to meet the competition from German players. This is a move that is well known, but there must be a will to use it, says Brubakk. – Otherwise, you accept that cross-border trade is high and that you actually leave money in the Swedish treasury instead of the Norwegian one. Bargain-conscious Despite the fact that the Norwegian krone is still worth less than the Swedish one, it is possible to make some bargains. – If you look, you will find better prices, but it is easy to do wrong, says cross-border trader Stein Fredriksen. Grethe Øystad Arnesen and Jorunn Flage from Hvaler are neighbours, and take it as a trip. – But it is not as cheap as it was, says Flage. Photo: Lars Håkon Pedersen / Lars Håkon Pedersen Grethe Øystad Arnesen from Hvaler also agrees with something. She and her neighbor have traveled to Svinesund to shop for what they know is cheap. – You have to know what to have and know what it costs at home versus here. Otherwise, you don’t know what you’re saving. In total, there were 931,000 visitors to Nordby in July. Not everyone can say that they have shopped across borders for the first time as adults. But Ruth Otterlei and Asbjørn Enerhaug can do it. Photo: Lars Håkon Pedersen / Lars Håkon Pedersen Ruth Otterlei and Asbjørn Enerhaug are here for the first time. They are from the north-west of the country and are going to buy lunch food, before they go on to Denmark. – On the return, there will perhaps be a little more trading, says Otterlei. Published 06.08.2024, at 10.51
ttn-69
Cross-border trade reached new heights – news Østfold – Local news, TV and radio
