Alcohol sales surge as the low value of the krona makes it possible for foreigners to buy booze on discount-price in Sweden.

For many years Sweden has been famous for its expensive alcohol due to high taxes and a state-run alcohol-retailing system. But the times appears to be a-changin.

During the year’s first six month sales of wine, beer, cider and liquor increased 9 percent, according to new figures from the monopolist Systembolaget.

The low value of the krona is the main explanation to the sales increase, as it gets less praiseworthy for Swedes to go abroad to hoard alcohol while foreigners – for some a bit surprisingly – travel to Sweden to buy cheap booze.

“Fewer and fewer travel to Germany and Denmark to border trade. It’s rather the Danes that comes to Sweden now”, said Lennart Agén, spokesperson at Systembolaget, to the TT news wire.

In south Sweden, near the German and Danish boarders, sales are up 17 percent, twice as much as in the rest of the country.

In the northern county of Norrbotten, by the Finnish boarder, sales are up 14 percent. Last month Finland hiked alcohol taxes by up to 10 percent in an effort to curb excessive drinking, the leading cause of death in the Nordic country.

Also people from Norway travel to Sweden to fill up the reserves, according to Systembolaget.

Since last year the Swedish currency has dropped some 16 percent against the euro and dollar.