Norwegians continue to commute to Swedish stores along the border.
With them back they have fully loaded trailers – and there are mainly three products that attract, reports grocery.
More Norwegians than before travel across the border to find.
Photo: Mattias de Frumerie
In Strömstad, sales in the municipality increased by 17.2 percent in 2024.
Photo: Adam Ihse / TT
The article in brief
Table of Contents
Border trade is increasing sharply – up 9.5 % in 2024.
Strömstad stands out with 17.2 % growth, mainly thanks to Norwegian customers.
Soft drinks are the bestsellers.
Danes also pilgrims to Swedish stores, especially in Malmö.
Border trade has long been a parade branch for Norwegians, as there are many kronor to save – but now the interest has reached new levels.
In 2024, border trade increased by 9.5 percent, according to the Trade Investigation Institute, HUI, which follows, among other things, the development of the grocery trade.
The industry magazine Dagvarunytt writes that fully loaded trailers and cars roll back and forth across the border. Strömstad accounted for a growth of 17.2 percent in 2024, compared with the total physical grocery trade in Sweden, which increased by 3.3 percent.
Customers at Nordby shopping centers in Strömstad.
Photo: Mattias de Frumerie / TT News Agency
The municipality increased its border trade significantly during 2024.
Photo: Mattias de Frumerie
And it continued during 2025, despite the strong Swedish krona.
Photo: Mattias de Frumerie / TT News Agency
According to Thomas Holm, CEO of commercial properties, it is not just about currency effects, but the supply plays a big role. New goods and reduced fuel prices attract the Norwegians to stores such as Systembolaget and the major grocery stores in Strömstad.
And there are mainly three products that stand out now:
Pepsi, Coca Cola and the energy drink Monster.
– The first small shop in Strömstad, when you just cross the border, sells more monsters than you do in the rest of Sweden, says Thomas Holm to Grocery.
The energy drink Monster is extra popular with Norwegians who trade Sweden.
Foto: Janerik Henriksson
“Like going to Thailand”
Danish customers have also found Sweden.
When Costco’s petrol station opened in Malmö, as many as 90 percent of customers from Denmark were. The Stora Bernstorp trading venue in Burlöv municipality also experiences a large influx of Danish customers.
– It is constantly increasing. There are large shopping baskets and a frequency that you do not really see from the Norwegian side, says Thomas Holm to Grocery News.
Jan Nyberg, CEO of Normal, confirms the picture:
More Danish customers than usual roll into Swedish stores in the Malmö region.
– It’s like going to Thailand and shopping. It is piggy if you look at the currency effect, he tells Gynligvarunytt.
Here the trade increased most
In Strömstad, sales in the municipality increased by 17.2 percent in 2024, compared with 3.3 percent for the Swedish grocery trade in total. A development that can partly be explained by lower fuel prices and an attractive Swedish range of goods for Norwegian customers, according to HUI. Since 2004, Strömstad has been the municipality that has developed the fastest among the border trade municipalities.
Top list for 2024:
Strömstad: 17.2 %
Torsby: 8.7 %
Eda 8,4 %
Årjäng: 7.4 %
Storuman: 6.8 %
Åre: 3.8 %
Arjeplog: 1.2 %
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