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MOVE IN: Tanum’s lease expires on New Years Eve. Norli will be moving into the facility. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB
The traditional Tanum bookstore in the Karl Johan Palace in Oslo closes its doors at the end of the year.
– It is very sad. The lease agreement expires on 12/31/2019. “We have negotiated for a long time with the owner of the KLP farm about a new and sustainable contract, but we did not reach an agreement because KLP would not meet with us in the final phase,” Tanum director Karin Mundal tells VG .
Karl Johan’s flagship is owned by Cappelen Damm, who previously sold other Tanum bookstores to Norli.
Mundal says the bookstore has been hit hard by the pandemic as the home office also means fewer people shop at physical stores in the capital.
MAMMUT SALE: Book lovers have flocked to the Palace store every year, among other things, to see the traditional Mammut sale. Photo: Berit Roald / Scanpix
– Are you thinking of moving the bookstore to another location?
– Now we just have to summarize. We have no plans or anything on the binoculars right now, says Mundal who claims that employees found out about the news Monday.
– Reduced the price by millions
KLP, on the other hand, believes that they had done their best.
– We think this is very sad. This is a marriage that has lasted a long time and means a lot to us. Therefore, we were willing to do everything possible to keep Tanum as a tenant, Sissel Bjaanæs, KLP’s chief information officer, tells VG.
FLAGSHIP: A better location than here on parade street in Oslo has to be sought for a long time. Photo: Kristian Helgesen
– We had reduced the price by several million over several years, and we had also given a discount with respect to the remodeling of the facilities when now they wanted to rent smaller premises, says Bjaanæs.
According to Bjaanæs, they had come so far that a contract had been made that was waiting to be signed.
– But then Tanum demanded an additional discount. It meant a great financial consequence for us and we couldn’t go any further. This is Tanum’s choice as we feel it, says the chief information officer.
Norli is moving
But it will be possible to buy books in the Palace also in the future.
– We think it will be a smooth transition, as it is Norli who moves into the facility when Tanum moves, says Bjaanæs.
