Norway’s notoriously expensive grocery stores were frustrating customers once again this week. Many shelves are suddenly bare all over the country, a sharp contrast to the bounty that existed just before Christmas.
There’s been a noticeable lack of fresh fish, various meats, bacon and eggs. A nationwide egg shortage first hit last year and has returned, while there was lots of fresh chicken available at one of the many KIWI grocery stores in Oslo.
Customers have been facing empty shelves at most all grocery store chains including Coop, REMA and those within Norway’s dominant retail conglomerate, NorgesGruppen, like KIWI and Meny. Products on the shelves have been replaced by signs blaming the lack of items on “delivery challenges,” “shortages of raw materials” or that wholesalers are sold out.
State broadcaster NRK picked up on the problem just before the weekend, when many out shopping were disappointed. One Coop spokesman blamed all the mid-week holidays over the past two weeks that disrupted production and delivery. A NorgesGruppen official said much the same thing, that they’d had “challenges tied to some fresh products after several holidays in a row.”
Coop told NRK that merchandise is often limited in January, after “pricing battles” with competitors prompted consumers to stock up on various items like sweets, cheeses and seasonal products. There’s also lower demand for premium products after the holidays.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
