Norwegian shoppers invade Sweden
Is shopping in Sweden expensive? Not if you ask a Norwegian.
• Norway's economy back in black
• Oil-rich Norwegians turn their backs on EU
• 'Norway is doing well' its Finance Minister said
Some 40 percent of all Norwegians have gone shopping in Sweden over the last three months, according to a study by the Swedish Retail Institute, HUI.
The reason why so many Norwegians cross the border to fill up their shopping trolley with the same groceries and products they could have bought in their own stores may be obvious. It's cheap. Due to the strong Norwegian krona, compared to the Swedish krona, shopping in Sweden is far from expensive.
Unsurprisingly, people living in the southeast of Norway are the most frequent shopping tourist. In the region as many as 55 percent have gone shopping in Sweden over the past three months, the study said.
In average the Norwegians spend 2.700 kronor ($400) per trip. During the same period 20 percent of all Danes and Finns visited Sweden – but spend less than half the amount of money as the oil-rich Norwegians.
"Norway is doing well," Finance Minister Sigbjørn Johnsen said last week, adding that "with growth over 2.0 percent in 2010, the Norwegian economy is returning to normal."
Last Updated (Thursday, 20 May 2010 16:04)
