– Based on the figures we see today, we will surpass 2019 by a good margin when the year is over, says Ole Jørgen Lind, store manager at MaxiMat in Nordby. Lind believes July is likely to produce record sales, but according to DNB, cross-border trade is still far from the level before the pandemic. In the second quarter of this year, Norwegians shopped for 2 billion, while 1.1 million day trips to Sweden were made. This is on a par with the same period last year, but 23 per cent lower than 2019, which was the last normal year before the pandemic. Lind believes the numbers do not match their numbers. – We do not recognize ourselves in the figures that are presented. If we look at the first half of 2019 compared to this year, we are more or less side by side. In April, May and June, Norwegians made 23 percent fewer trips across the border than in the same period in 2019. Photo: Sebastian Nordli/news Disagree with the statistics In May, figures from Statistics Norway (SSB) showed that Norwegians left NOK 1.9 billion behind on day trips abroad in January, February and March this year. That was 9.1 per cent less than in the same period in 2022. According to Lind, fewer shopping-loving Norwegians took trips across the border at Easter. But he still thinks it doesn’t make a big difference. – Figures have been presented recently that are taken out of context. When it comes to figures for cross-border trade, among other things, Statistics Norway has failed violently in the past with figures that do not resemble ours, says Lind. This is how DNB obtains figures for cross-border trade The insight team at DNB analyzes transaction data and consumption behavior based on 1.4 million private customers. In their analyzes of cross-border trade, physical card use in trade in goods on day trips to Sweden is mapped. Director for data transformation at DNB, Ine Oftedahl, believes that there are many factors that affect Norwegians’ cross-border trade. She flatly points to changes in alcohol and tobacco quotas, higher price growth for food in Sweden than in Norway and a krone that is weakening against the Swedish krone. – Our transaction data generally indicates that Norwegians are increasing their economic awareness, and although many factors suggest that cross-border trade will not naturally jump up to 2019 levels, we are somewhat surprised that it has stabilized so much lower than normal, says Oftedahl. The shopping basket has shrunk – If we take into account currency fluctuations and the rise in prices in Sweden, Norwegians come home with a shopping basket that has shrunk by 11 per cent from last year, adds Oftedahl. Store manager Ole Jørgen Lind believes it is important to point out that the figures presented by DNB apply to all the country’s border crossings. Figures from DNB show that customers shop for the same amount as last year, but they do not come home with the same amount of goods. Photo: Amalie Fagerhaug Evjen – There are many industries and always some that are above and below average. For our part, we have a good development at Nordby. It’s about us being a well-integrated destination. A weak Norwegian krone does not mean much when the Swedish krone is weaker either. The figures from DNB also show that it is the youngest who reduce their cross-border trade the most. The age groups between 18–29 reduce the number of day trips in the second quarter by 30 per cent on average compared to 2019. Lind says that so far in July they have 10 per cent better turnover compared to July 2019. – We have a lot of hands in the swing now, and have a total of 220 employees this summer. Every single one is needed. We are incredibly satisfied with the trade and that we have come back so quickly after the pandemic, says Lind.
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Cross-border trade still lower than before the pandemic – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
