That shop customers cross the border between Norway and Sweden is nothing new. But now more Swedes are coming across the border to Norway to buy food. It has become a reverse border trade. Butter, cheese and fruit – This is both “careful and useful”, says Swedish Åsa Kutt. We meet her and Mikael Olsson in the Kiwi shop at Magnor in Innlandet. The two have filled up the shopping basket with meat, bread, eggs, cheese, fruit and butter. They admit that it is the sharp rise in food prices in Sweden that makes them go over the border and shop. Mikael Olsson thought there were only a few foods that could entice them with Norwegian prices. But after a round in the shop, he has found several that have ended up in the shopping basket. REVERSE SWEDISH TRADE: Swedish customers flock across the border to Norway and fill their baskets with cheaper food products than at home. Photo: Vibecke Wold Haagensen / news Store manager Jonas Nilsson at Kiwi in Magnor is more than happy to welcome more Swedish customers. He is Swedish himself. He has also had Swedish customers in the store in the past, but now more and more are coming. – Swedish customers are very aware of price and what they are looking for, says Nilsson. They buy a lot of fruit and vegetables. FILL UP: store manager Jonas Nilsson at Kiwi Magnor prepares more fruit and vegetables for more shopping-hungry Swedish customers. Photo: Frode Meskau / news So much so that the store manager now has to order twice as much of this very thing, compared to what he did a short time ago. Anders Fjeldstad is store manager at Rema 1000 in Ørje in Viken. The shop is located around one mile from Swedish Töcksfors. He also experiences more Swedish visits. – Here Swedes buy everything from butter to Norwegian fish balls, plus vegetables and fruit, says Fjeldstad. SMILING; store manager Anders Fjeldstad at Rema 1000 in Ørje in Viken is happy about many more Swedish customers in the store. Photo: Privat In addition, the Swedes buy Norwegian goat cheese, prawns and some other Norwegian seafood. Fjeldstad is naturally happy about the development that is taking place with the reverse border trade. Historic price increase According to Statistics Sweden, the price of food and non-alcoholic drinks in Sweden has increased by over 20 per cent in the past year. Not since the beginning of the 1950s have food prices increased so much in one year in Sweden. The price of cauliflower has increased by nearly 80%. Sugar has become over 48% more expensive. For butter, Swedes have to pay 48% more than a year ago. Foods that increased in price the most from February 2022 to February 2023 in Sweden Purjolök + 79.5% Cauliflower + 79.2% Paprika + 54.1% Honeydew melon + 51.4% Sugar + 48.1% Other smörgåsfett + 45.3 % Butter + 39.4% Småcitrus + 38.4% Gräddfil, crème fraiche + 38.4% Hushållsmargarin + 38.0% (Statistics Authority, SCB) – Food is probably not cheaper in Norway, but the price increase on food has been significantly lower in Norway than in Sweden in the last year. That’s what Bendik Solum Whist says. He is branch director for groceries in the main organization Virke. In February, food prices rose 21 per cent on an annual basis in Sweden. In Norway, it rose by 8.8 per cent in Norway. BORDER TRADE; Food is probably not cheaper in Norway, but the increase in food prices has been significantly lower in Norway than in Sweden over the past year, says Bendik Solum Whist, branch director Daglivare in Virke. Photo: Virke – If Norwegian merchants report increased sales of vegetables, fish and baked goods, it probably has something to do with the fact that all three product groups have increased by over 20 percent in Sweden in the past year, writes Solum Whist in an email to news. Vegetables in particular have increased in price in the last month. Last year, Norwegians left NOK 10.4 billion in cross-border trade in Sweden, according to Statistics Norway. – A weak krone exchange rate also means that both countries experience higher prices for typical imported goods, such as coffee, cocoa, grain products, oils and fats, as well as fruit and vegetables, emphasizes Solum Whist. Used to fluctuations Ståle Løvheim is manager of Nordby Shopping Center on the Swedish side of Svinesund. He is not intimidated by the fact that more Swedes are now going to Norway to shop for food, after a sharp rise in prices in Sweden. MORE CUSTOMERS; manager at Nordby Shopping Center in Svinesund has budgeted for a record year in 2023, when it comes to cross-border trade. Photo: Hermund Lybeck Kjernli / news The shopping center he is head of has budgeted for a record year now in 2023. – Cross-border traders are used to fluctuations, but as long as the price differences are so large between Norway and Sweden, trade will continue as before, says an optimistic center manager .
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Swedish customers are pouring across the border and filling their baskets with food. – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
