[ad_1]
Lost a lot in sales since Norway closed the lawn
Published:
STRÖMSTAD. Beautiful Christmas lighting and empty plot. In the center of Strömstad, retailers are struggling to survive, amidst Christmas shopping.
But thanks to the local population, several stores have been able to remain open, despite the fact that Norway closed the border.
– The people of Strömstad are fantastic, says store owner Heidi Caroline Nyström.
Photo: ANDERS DEROS
Heidi Caroline Nyström, who is from Norway, hopes that the relationship between Swedes and Norwegians will continue to be good when the border is reopened.
Fabrics, perfumes, shoes, clothing and furniture. In the center of Strömstad, there are many shops for those looking for Christmas gifts or something nice for them.
But this year’s Christmas shopping is not the same. As in many other places in Sweden, there are not as many people on the move due to the pandemic.
But in Strömstad it is worse than that. Here it is almost spooky compared to what it usually is in December. The municipality has been hit hard by the closure of the Norwegian border in March and stores have lost much of their sales.
Photo: ANDERS DEROS
During the morning, Heidi Caroline Nyström has already had some customers who have come to buy. She says that many Strömstad residents support local merchants.
Norwegian customers missing
Along the canal is the Dit och Datt store, owned by Heidi Caroline Nyström.
– There is so little Christmas shopping now that we miss a large part of our customers. We are a border city and cross border trade is a big part of what we live alongside tourism. We really notice that the border is closed.
Elin Andersson, who owns the Hygiea parfymeri store, also says there is usually a lot more to do in December.
– It is absolutely different this year. Our Norwegian customers are usually here from November and buy Christmas gifts when they only have to pay half the tax.
How have you been feeling in the last few months?
– Mentally, it’s quite heavy. I have my family on the other side, besides my mother then. So it’s very different, says Elin Andersson.
Photo: ANDERS DEROS
Elin Andersson is one of several small business owners in the center of Strömstad. For her, it is not as remarkable as for others that Norwegians are not here shopping. Most of his clients are Swedish.
Stores work better downtown
In Strömstad, December and the summer months are the best time for traders. Heidi Caroline Nyström, who is also president of the Strömstad merchants association, says that some shops in the city center have been forced to close. But most have managed to stay open despite losing many sales.
– Our store has lost about 40 percent so far this year, but a bit compared to the Nordby border. There, the loss is more than 95 percent. We at the center have done a little better.
She thinks this is because Nordby looks a bit like a Norwegian shopping mall, even though it is located on the Swedish side of the lawn.
In the center, the stores have always had more Swedish customers, who have also provided additional support in recent months.
– They have been very good at shopping locally. I don’t think there are as many postman lines here as in big cities. People become a little more patriotic in times of crisis.
Photo: ANDERS DEROS
Heidi Caroline Nyström has lived in Strömstad for ten years and is the owner of the Dit och Datt shop in the center.
Closing is more than a loss of sales
Heidi Caroline Nyström moved to Strömstad from the north of Oslo ten years ago. This summer, she married a Swede on the Norwegian border. On the other side, her mother stood and witnessed the ceremony, but they were not allowed to cross the border and hug.
– I met my mother once after that. Then the closing is something else than we have lost trade. We also lose our friends and family when there is now a limit that is usually not noticed.
How does it feel not to be able to cross as usual?
– I can say that I have rarely had a telephone bill as high as the one I have now. We miss each other, says Heidi Caroline Nyström.
Published:
