New report: Norway’s grocery industry loses NOK 9 billion in border trade



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This is a report from Nielsen Norway.

900,000 Norwegians shop in Sweden once a month or more, and especially in the old county of Østfold, but also in Oslo and the old county of Akershus, the figures show that the inhabitants buy less in Norwegian grocery stores than elsewhere from the country.

In the former Østfold county, now part of Viken, the grocery trade averages NOK 30,000 per capita, compared to around NOK 37,600 nationwide.

If grocery sales in the former Østfold, Akershus and Oslo counties had been above the national average, grocery sales would have been almost 9.1 billion higher in 2019.

The survey shows that soft drinks (44 percent) and sweets and chocolate (42 percent) are the Norwegians most often in Swedish supermarkets. Then come items like cold cuts, sandwiches, fresh meats, and frozen meats.

The report indicates that many Norwegians near the border use Sweden for their main grocery purchases. Coupled with the explosive growth rates for the former Østfold county after the closed-border covid-19 outbreak, this shows the need to act if there is a goal to limit the leaks, says Gunnar Portvik, communications manager in Nielsen Norway, in a press release.

The survey also shows that 18 percent of respondents say that, in principle, they do not cross borders to support Norwegian supermarkets.



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