Check Price Systembolaget: – Now it is more expensive

Are you one of the many who cross borders in search of cheap food, drink and tobacco? There's still a lot to save, but now it's worth checking the price a bit if you're visiting Systembolaget. On Friday, the Swedish Pole raised prices by 0.8 percent on average.

The price adjustment on March 1 had the following effect on prices (on average):

• Wine: 1.1 percent
• Alcohol: 0.7 percent
• Beer: 0.3 percent
• Side dishes/mixed drinks: 1.2%

Alcohol-free is not ready.

– As you can see, there are moderate changes in all categories – and overall, writes Theodor Almqvist, communications officer at Systembolaget, in an email to DinSide.

He explains that price increases and price reductions are hidden behind the numbers. So some commodities may have risen somewhat more, while the prices of others may have fallen.

– One of the reasons why, in many sectors, we do not see significant price increases is the appreciation of the krona (Swedish, editor's note).

At the time of writing, the exchange rate is 101.76 NOK for 100 SEK – we calculated an exchange rate of 102, which is about 2 seconds, since the exchange rate you get when you shop is somewhat worse.

This costs the best sellers

Despite the higher price, there's still plenty to save on popular items, as our price check shows.

We've taken a look at Vinmonopolet's top five lists in the fortified wines, bottled wines, hot wines and spirits categories.

For example, you can save NOK 231 on a bottle of Smirnoff vodka. There's also a lot to save on cardboard wine. You can save NOK 165 on a case of Marques de Nombrevilla, Norway's best-selling wine by litre, while you can save NOK 185 on a case of Tommasi Graticcio Appasionato.

That's why they increase the price

Systembolaget can set prices twice a year, on March 1 and September 1. By comparison, the Norwegian wine monopoly can set prices three Times of the year.

When we say that Vinmonopolet and Systemabolaget can adjust prices, it is the importers who adjust the prices. The two alcohol retailers then set the price according to different models.

Systembolaget: Check age limit

Systembolaget operates with two additional fees on top of the price from the importer:

All goods receive a general margin of 14.7 percent on the purchase price.

In addition, there is a profit margin that varies depending on the product applied:

• Wine: NOK 5.40
• Alcohol: 6.37 NOK
• Side dishes and ready-made drinks: NOK 1.52
• Beer: 0.95 NOK
• Non-alcoholic beer, side dishes and pre-mixed drinks: NOK 2.46
• Non-alcoholic wine and other non-alcoholic drinks: NOK 5.92.