The difference between the Danish and Swedish kronor is record-breaking. This is driving shopping-hungry Danes and tourists to Skåne.
After last year's depreciation of the Swedish currency, one Danish krone today costs 1.50 kronor. The difference has not been this large since the financial crisis of 2009. This has made it significantly cheaper for Danes to shop and visit Sweden. Several shopping centers and tourist facilities in Skåne testify to the significant increase in interest from the neighboring country during the autumn.
”"In recent months, and not least during the Christmas shopping season, we have seen a clear increase in Danish customers compared to previous years. We don't have exact figures, but my gut feeling is that up to 20 percent of our customers are from Denmark today. Historically, that figure has been around 10 percent," says Martin Lundquist at the property company Steen & Ström and responsible for the Emporia shopping center in Malmö.
The proximity to the Öresund Bridge means that Danes come to Emporia to shop for most household items, according to Martin Lundquist. Everything from groceries to clothes and shoes.
”"But actually also alcohol. Then you definitely know that the exchange rate is favorable."”
In Malmö's central stores, it has also been clearly noticed that more Danish was spoken than usual during the autumn. However, the currency effect has not reached all types of stores here.
”"The ones that are most noticeable of an increase are design and fashion stores. This has to do with the fact that the Danes who come to Malmö city are those who are looking to buy something unique. In addition, they like to combine their visit with an experience, such as a visit to a restaurant," says Pia Sandin, CEO of Malmö city cooperation.
The Skåne tourism industry is also clearly feeling the influx of Danish guests. At Hotel Ystad Saltsjöbad, Danes make up around 20 percent of the guests in a normal year. Now that figure is 30 percent.
”"If we only look at private guests, the proportion is even up to 50 percent. We have never been there before. We would like to believe that we have an attractive hotel. But of course we realize that the currency also plays a big role here," says Anders Nilsson, who is a partner in ESS Group, which owns Ystad Saltsjöbad but also several other hotels in the region. According to him, they are currently putting a lot of effort into marketing their hotels to Danish customers.
”Denmark has always been important to us, but we still see a good opportunity to grow even more among Danish customers, partly thanks to a favorable exchange rate.”
The fact that shopping and tourism in Sweden have become significantly cheaper is also evident in travel statistics. Recent figures for 2022 show that traffic across the Öresund Bridge increased sharply during the year. At the beginning of 2022, the number of vehicles driving over the bridge was 40 percent lower compared to the same period in 2019. At the end of the year, traffic flow was only ten percent lower compared to 2019.
But the figures also show that it is primarily Danish leisure travel that is lifting the total figure. Here, traffic is back to the level from 2019, while Swedish leisure traffic is still lagging behind.
Source:DI-TT:SE
