Latest news with #Systembolaget
Economist
5 days ago
- Economist
Cigarettes, booze and petrol bankroll Europe's welfare empire
Is it possible to feel the burden of sin in a continent that is all but godless, as Europe is these days? Prostitution barely generates a frisson in Belgium, a land of unionised hookers. Puffing cannabis is legal in Germany, of all places. Gambling via lotteries or mobile apps is uncontentious just about everywhere. But to feel the weight of social disapproval, try buying a bottle of wine in Sweden. Since 1955 a state-run monopoly has begrudgingly dispensed alcohol to those who insist on drinking it. The Systembolaget, as it is known, oozes disapproval. Stores are sparse and closed on Sundays. If you find one, forget posters of appealing vineyards as you browse the shelves: the decor is part Albanian government office, part pharmacy. There are no discounts to be had, nor a loyalty programme. Wine is left unchilled lest a customer be tempted to down it on a whim. As they queue to pay, shoppers are made to trudge past a 'regret basket' that primly suggests they leave some of their hoard behind. The road to Swedish hell is, apparently, lined with lukewarm bottles of sauvignon blanc.
Local Sweden
16-07-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
Was Sweden's historic alcohol problem exaggerated for political reasons?
This week's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra for Membership+ subscribers features an interview with food historian Richard Tellström. Advertisement In this week's episode you can listen to a conversation our Nordic editor Richard Orange had recently with the high-profile food historian Richard Tellström about the history of Sweden's alcohol retail monopoly. Why did Sweden start rationing how much alcohol that could be bought as far back as the 1850s? How influential was the fledgling temperance movement? And was Sweden's alcohol problem really as bad as they claimed? What role does Systembolaget play in Swedish society today, and why is even the recent mild liberalisation that allows alcohol producers to sell small quantities on their own premises so fraught with controversy? Membership+ subscribers can listen to the interview in the latest episode of Sweden in Focus Extra. READ ALSO: Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcasts Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers. Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday. Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+ Read more about Membership+ in our help centre. Already have Membership+ but not receiving all the episodes? Go to the podcast tab on your account page to activate your subscription on a podcast platform. If you prefer to listen on the site, you can find all episodes at the bottom of our podcast page.
Local Sweden
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Sweden's new alcohol law: 'Freedom reform' or flop?
This week: How a new law puts a chink in Systembolaget's armour, and why Sweden could ban international adoptions. For Membership+ subscribers: what are the Social Democrats planning for next year's election? And how will Sweden's elderly care system cope as immigrant workers are forced to leave Sweden? Advertisement This week we talk about a new alcohol law that came into force this month and what it means for consumers. And why has a government inquiry proposed banning international adoptions and apologising to adoptees. For Membership+ subscribers we discuss how Sweden's biggest political party, the Social Democrats, is gearing up for next year's general election. Finally, with updates expected this month on new salary requirements for work permit holders, we look at how the current limit has already led to staffing shortages in Sweden's elderly care service as immigrant workers are forced to leave the country. Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange. Advertisement Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: Alcohol Family Politics Work permits You can listen to the free episode here: Or follow Sweden in Focus wherever you listen to podcasts. Advertisement Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcasts Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday. Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+ Read more about Membership+ in our help centre. Already have Membership+ but not receiving all the episodes? Go to the podcast tab on your account page to activate your subscription. Advertisement
Local Sweden
05-06-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
Swedes breathe sigh of relief after Systembolaget strike is called off
The Midsummer's Eve aquavit is safe. Advertisement Swedes' access to alcohol this summer is secured after trade unions struck a deal with business organisation Svensk Handel less than a week before hundreds of employees at state-run alcohol monopoly Systembolaget had been set to walk out. Unionen and Engineers of Sweden had threatened industrial action which would have affected Systembolaget's headquarters as well as warehouses in Stockholm, Kungsängen, Sundsvall and Örebro. As the warehouses supply alcohol to the chain's stores, there was a risk of shelves running dry and some shops having to close as a result. The sticking point was union demands for part-time employees to be given the same rights to overtime compensation as full-time employees when they work more than their contracted hours. But after signing a new collective bargaining agreement, the strike was called off.
Reuters
30-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Sweden eases alcohol monopoly one bottle at a time
STOCKHOLM, May 31 (Reuters) - If Anna Anerfalt gets a license to sell gin, whiskey and schnapps to visitors at her family's distillery near Norrtalje in Sweden, the first thing she will have to do is warn them of the dangers of alcohol. From June 1, small-scale breweries, vineyards and distilleries will be able to sell direct to customers - the first easing of Sweden's more than 100 year-old alcohol sales monopoly. The aim is to boost tourism and help craft producers to grow, while preserving the role of Systembolaget - state booze shops - in limiting access to alcohol and damage to public health. "The whole event has to start off with a warning about the risks of drinking alcohol," Anna Anerfalt, CEO of the Norrtalje Branneri said, describing one of the conditions set in return for the right to sell. She supports strict alcohol controls and said she was positive about the change to the law. "I'm not sure it will affect the sales of our product that much, though, because each visitor is only allowed to buy one bottle," she said. Under the new rules, distilleries like Norrtalje will be able to sell a 0.7 litre bottle directly to visitors after a paid tour between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Sales at vineyards and micro-breweries will be capped at 3 litres. A 2021 government committee report estimated an increase in alcohol sales of around 200,000 litres a year across Sweden, or less than 1% of sales at Systembolaget. Swedes have long fretted about the health effects of alcohol consumption, only narrowly voting against prohibition in 1922. The World Health Organisation says the Nordic region's strict alcohol policies, which include some of the highest booze taxes in Europe, contribute to relatively low consumption and reduce negative health effects. Even a small change to alcohol laws is controversial. "Increased alcohol consumption leads to more social problems," Alexander Ojanne, head of Social Affairs and Public Safety at Stockholm's municipal council, said. "We want to reduce those social problems as much as possible." Stockholm's numerous micro-breweries will only be able to sell when Systembolaget is open - meaning no late evenings, Saturday afternoons or Sundays. Others see bigger worries. Sweden got an exception to free market rules for Systembolaget when it joined the European Union in 1995 and some fret that Brussels could now demand a bigger change. "The problem isn't farm sales in itself, rather we think that it threatens Systembolaget's monopoly," Lucas Nilsson, the chairman of Sweden's biggest temperance organisation IOGT-NTO said. "Ultimately, it could mean we have to dismantle Systembolaget," Nilsson said. The government will review the law after six years.
