Black Friday will take place on November 24th, and Virke estimates that Norwegians will outdo previous years. Again, the trading day will meet a green equivalent.
The American trading phenomenon Black Friday has gained a foothold in Norway. Last year, revenue increased by 10.6 per cent compared with the previous year. Virke estimates that Norwegians will trade for 3.4 billion this year, thus breaking all records.
Shopping malls day
Last year, Norwegians made almost half of their Christmas trade in November.
– Black Friday is one of the reasons we are looking at bying Christmas gifts earlier than before.
Last year, almost 1.5 billion kroner of Christmas trade moved from December to November, and there is reason to believe that this trend will continue, “says Bror William Stende, Director of Virke Trade.
It is especially the turnover in electro and sport stores that has moved to November.
The malls have pushed the day of trade to their breast and are the ones who market the day the most. In 2016, sales increased at four out of five malls on Black Friday compared with the previous year. Now online stores have also joined in to a greater extent.
Swapping day Green Friday
Not everyone is as enthusiastic about Norway’s adoption of the American phenomenon. With the slogan green is the new black, DNT is organising the young for the second consecutive year of Green Friday, which will be an environmentally friendly alternative to Black Friday.
Over 10,000 have said they want to attend the swapping day, organized by DNT Young at 15 places around the country, from Hammerfest to Stavanger. Here people can exchange outdoor clothes and leisure equipment. This year, several organizations and businesses have also joined the trend.
“I hope events such as Green Friday can open more eyes to the notion that the more things can be re-used, the smaller the environmental impact – not just that one day but all year round,” says the chair woman of DNT Young, Johanne Grue Reiten.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
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