– For our loved ones, we will shop at the store. For more distant relatives, there will be online shopping.

Activity in central Oslo has more than halved compared to the same period last year. But NHO still expects an increase in holiday shopping.

Vilde Hopland is with Aunt Møyfrid and Uncle Gaute on a shopping trip in Bogstadveien on Saturday afternoon. They realize that there are fewer people in the socially closed capital.

– Here it boils as usual. Now it is much calmer. We even found a parking space, says Gaute Hopland.

NHO: Downtown stores are struggling

– The urban landscape has changed considerably, says Linda Vist.

She is the Industrial Director of Commerce for NHO Service og Handel, which organizes companies with 90,000 man-years.

Vist notes that while out-of-town shopping malls and stores are experiencing increased demand, the opposite is true for stores in the country’s inner city.

– People are more at home, they do not take trains or buses to the city center. Brand stores, says the industry director.

But his forecasts for holiday shopping in general show that the arrows are pointing up this year.

– Many have saved money in recent months, even on fewer trips. The increase will come especially in e-commerce, where forecasts show an increase of up to 24 percent from last year, says Vist.

The figure applies to Norwegian online stores.

And that trend also applies in Bogstadveien:

– For our loved ones, we will buy physically in the store. For more distant relatives, there will be online shopping, say Møyfrid and Gaute Hopland.

The activity of the center was reduced by more than half

A new report from the Emergency Management Agency shows that activity has dropped dramatically in districts near the city center.

In the center of the district, activity decreased by 64 percent compared to last year in week 46, the same week the capital was closed socially.

“The area is distinguished from other districts with a very low number of inhabitants, a high degree of service and employment, as well as large public transport nodes”, is the explanation for the low activity.

Since then, stores, shopping centers and the like in the capital have been asked to ensure that customers can be two meters away and provide the necessary security. Similar measures have been introduced in other cities with high infection pressure.

– What we see is that stores that tend to be a little smaller and located in the center have a hard time, says Linda Vist from NHO Service og Handel.

Their estimates indicate that Norwegians will spend an average of NOK 12,160 each on retail in December. They expect a 7.6 percent increase in holiday shopping compared to last year.

You want free parking

Vibeke Hoff Norbye, communications manager for the Oslo Handelsstand association, confirms the image. She points out that in Oslo, a large proportion of restaurants and eateries are closed as a result of bar stops. It also affects shopping downtown.

– We have been in dialogue with the Oslo city hall and we want them to help commerce in the city by offering free parking and tolls, so that people can get to the city center, he says.

But the situation is complex, according to Norbye: Groceries, houses, homes and sports are doing very well. Stores that sell clothing, shoes, bags and fashion are the most affected.

And the trade booth in Oslo is optimistic considering Christmas shopping is expected to hit a record. Additionally, surveys show that an increasing proportion of online shoppers will choose Norwegian’s online stores this year.

– Several of those who have a store in the center of Oslo also have an online store. Others offer home delivery or stocks via social media, Norbye says.

Mæland: – Take your Christmas shopping early

– I would like to encourage everyone to do their Christmas shopping in such a way as not to expose yourself or others to an unnecessary risk of infection, Justice Minister Monica Mæland (H) told NTB this week.

He called on people to ditch the trade early and avoid congestion in stores and malls.

Norbye in Oslo Handelsstands forening believes that since there are fewer people than usual in the city center, it is now a safe place to shop.

– You go outside between the stores, and inside the store there is a lot of space. Stores also spend a lot of resources on cleaning and security, he says.

Nordbye adds that they expect lower infection rates, so that people can return to the city.

Worried about teenagers

The Oslo city council leader, for his part, is concerned about coronary heart disease among teenagers who frequent shopping malls.

– Have you considered closing the shopping centers?

– No, but we have gone and we have looked at all the places where young people are. There are still things to do. But people should have the opportunity to buy food and go shopping, city council leader Raymond Johansen (Labor Party) told NTB earlier this week.