– It’s not just shopping for Christmas presents and making things up. But it’s never too late to shop for Christmas presents – before Christmas Eve, says Sheymaa Alad. She just manages to finish on time. But have you bought all the Christmas presents, and filled drawers and cupboards with everything you need for Christmas? If not, today is the last chance – on Christmas Eve. As Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, the shops must be closed this year. – We are really ready today. The parking attendants were out early to welcome the people who started early. So says Trine Foosnæs, general manager at Sirkus Shopping in Trondheim. – The last few days have been absolutely incredible. We notice it in the number of visitors – we are above last year. I think all shopping centers were excited about whether we would do that. She says that Black Friday was so good that they thought people might have done most of their Christmas shopping. Many made the trip out to the shops on Saturday, like here at Lagunen in Bergen. Photo: Oskar Rennedal / news Exceeding all expectations According to figures from Kvarud analysis, shopping centers in Norway experienced turnover growth of almost 5 per cent in November. Several of the shopping centers are now waiting for the final turnover figures for December, which will be ready next week. Nevertheless, they can confirm that Christmas shopping has gone better than they hoped for – despite the fact that the media image is characterized by war, rising prices and rising interest rates. – Today has been absolutely enormous. There are a lot of people, and yesterday it was absolutely extreme. They are shopping for the last Christmas presents, says Christin Mossin. She owns Konfekten, one of the stores at Lagunen storsenter in Bergen. Christin Mossin tells about the busy days before Christmas. Photo: Oskar Rennedal / news – The turnover is absolutely formidable, says center manager Tone Havneraas. – Overall, we are well ahead of last year. We surpassed last year’s figures in week 50. We are on course for a record year both in terms of turnover and visitor numbers. The center is set to reach a new milestone with annual turnover of SEK 4.5 billion. The increase so far is 8 per cent compared to last year. She believes one of the reasons is that more people are at home, and that not so many shop abroad. – We are pleasantly surprised that we have such good results, considering that there is a tough economic backdrop in so many ways. – It is clear that people want to go out and visit physical stores and meet others. Madelén Bringaker believes that people will shop for more this year. – Everything has become more expensive. And then there are sales. It is possible that people go for a bang or two, she says in action at Farmandstredet in Tønsberg. Photo: Vegard Lilleås / news Thought of a decline At Amfi Moa in Ålesund, center manager Anne Mari Rødal Kleppe thought that there was going to be a decline in Christmas shopping due to the increase in interest rates. But the opposite has happened. They have had record sales. So far this year, the center has sold goods and services worth NOK 3.3 billion. An increase of 4.8 per cent from last year. – We have never had such high turnover as now, and it will be exciting to see the end result. I thought perhaps that people would go to the hairdresser or to the cafe less now when everything is so expensive, but we are also seeing an increase there, says Rødal Kleppe. Moa shopping center in Ålesund. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news Luftfoto Someone stands out – It has gone beyond all expectations, says Vibeke Askevold, marketing manager for the shopping centers CC Hamar and CC Gjøvik. Those shopping now are probably focusing on getting the last remaining food and drink. But some stand out. Goldsmiths tend to have a high turnover on 23 December, says Askevold. – Some may come at the last minute, she laughs. Vibeke Askevold is marketing manager for the shopping centers CC Hamar and CC Gjøvik. Photo: THOR HENNING LERSTAD / news – The visit looks good today too. There are probably many who find out that today is the last opportunity. That’s what center manager at Amfi Steinkjer, Oddbjørn Stiklestad, says. Several stores are reporting turnover records here. – Christmas shopping started early this year, so the last two weeks have exceeded expectations in terms of visitor numbers. Will spend money on themselves and theirs And more are joining the ranks of surprised center managers. – What we see is that families and people want to spend the money they have on themselves and theirs. Then the shopping center segment falls into place. They spend more money on food and gifts for friends and family, instead of perhaps buying a new car, cottage, house and expensive holiday. That’s what center manager at Amfi Sogningen, Wilhelm Tangerud, says. – We were very excited, but in many ways we got a positive indication for November which meant that we have looked more and more optimistically at the deals until Christmas. It has actually gone beyond all expectations, says center manager at Alti Førde, Rolf Arne Rognaldsen. Many people use Christmas Eve to shop for the last Christmas presents. Like here at the Byhaven shopping center in Trondheim. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen / news Renate Hjørnevik Meland is center manager at Kvadrat in Sandnes, where they seem to end up with just over 5.5 million visitors. Meland says that turnover has been on a par with last year, while there have been more visitors. She is satisfied if the turnover ends up at the same level as last year – the record year with NOK 2.6 billion. – This week and Space Christmas will determine where we end up, says Meland.
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Increased turnover and high visitor numbers at shopping centers across Norway – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
