| A monthly, free magazine called "N�jesguiden" has a list of beer
prices at different bars / restaurants, and they call it the
"Bar.o.meter" :-)
In the May issue prices range from 47 SEK to 105 SEK per liter, but
only three are listed below 60 SEK. They use liters because normally
you order a "stor stark" = big strong, which can be anything from 35
to 50 centiliters. Therefore it's deceptive to just look a the price
for a stor stark, which normally would be between 30 and 42 SEK.
(Right now 1 US$ = 5.40 SEK)
As of July 1 prices at "Systembolaget", the Gov't liquor store, have
changed dramatically because now the tax on a drink only depends on
its content of alcohol, instead of its price. That means that wine
and liquor that are higher quality, and more expensive, now have lower
tax, and consequently prices have dropped, sometimes with 30-50 %.
It's now said that Sweden have some of the lowest prices in Europe
for good high quality wines. On the other hand some popular cheap
drinks have gotten more expensive because they have a high percentage
of alcohol.
It's still unclear if this will affect restaurant prices. One thing
that has happened is that "mellan�l", medium-strong beer, which was
abolished in 1976 (I think) , has now been reintroduced. Earlier it
was sold in any ordinary shop, but now it's only sold in
"Systembolaget". It seems restaurants will be selling more of this
instead of strong beer. (Strong beer = max 5.6 volume% alcohol,
medium strong = max 4.5 %).
Hans
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| I thought I'd compare the old prices from .0 from summer of '89 to
today's prices: (not all wines are still sold)
All prices are for bottles containing .75 litres unless explicitly
stated different.
Cheap red wine 1992 price
French red wine, 29 Sek. 39
Spanish red wine, 30 Sek 39
Vranac, yugoslavia, 32 Sek 41
Not quite cheap wine (red)
Bardolino Classico (italy) 36 Sek 45
Barossa Valley (australia) 37 Sek
California Red (USA) 36 Sek 41
Ruby of Crimea (USSR) 38 Sek
Rene Barbier (Spain) 40 Sek 45
Cotes-du-Rhone (France) 41 Sek 46
Rioja Tinto (Spain) 45 Sek
Nottage Hill claret (Australia) 45 Sek
almost expensive to outrageous wines
Louis M. Martini Cabernet (USA) 52 Sek
Glenloth (australia) 57 Sek 51
Jacobs Creek Claret (Australia) 62 Sek 51
Simi Cabernet Sauvignon (USA) 85 Sek
Imperial Gran Reserva (Spain) 99 Sek
Domaine du Vieux Lazaret (France) 112 Sek 92
Prado Enea Gran Reserva (Spain) 119
Red Bordeaux
Marechal 36 Sek
Le Cardinal 54 Sek 55
Mouton-Cadet 63 Sek 60
Chateau Gazin (pomerol) 222 Sek
Chateau Lynch Bages 286 Sek 260
Vieux Chateau Certan 385 Sek 215 (!)
Gives you an idea I hope.. Wines aren't too bad, taxwise, but here we go..
Hard liquor..
Aperitif:
Campari Bitter 146 Sek 100 (!)
Ouzo 98 Sek 100
Pernod 138 (1/2 litre) 138
Eau de vie
Absolut (40 %) 177 Sek 193
Smirnoff (40%) 176 Sek 193
Moskovskaya (40%) 179 194
Finlandia (40%) (1/2 litre) 119 Sek 169 (750 ml)
Gin:
Beefeater (40%) 211 Sek 209
Tequila (generic) (40%) 200 Sek 203
Courvoisier VS 299 Sek 254
Martell *** 309 Sek 261
Remy Martin F S VSOP 436 Sek 322 (!)
Southern Comfort 216 Sek 216
Whisky:
American:
Four Roses (40%) 196 Sek 204
Jim Beam (40%) 202 Sek 206
Jack Daniels #7 284 Sek 250
Irish:
John Jameson 218 Sek 213
Canadian
Black Velvet 186 Sek 200
Scotch blended
Stewarts finest old 196 Sek 202
Cutty Sark 215 Sek 210
Shivas Regal 334 Sek 268
Beer:
All prices are for one can=33 cc
for one liter 1992:
Lapin Kulta (Fin) 10.10 Sek 28.78 12.00
Becks (West Germany) 10.20 29.09 12.10
DAB -----""----- 10.30 29.39 12.40
Schlitz (USA) 10.80 30.42 10.40
Pilsner Urquell (how do you spell CzechoSlovakia??)
10.10 30.60 10.30
Faxe (Denmark) 10.40 31.51 11.20
Guinness Stout (Ireland) 11.20 33.93 13.30
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| From: [email protected] (Reuter/Andrew Huddart)
Newsgroups: clari.world.europe.western
Subject: Swedish grocer challenges state alcohol monopoly
Date: Sun, 10 Apr 94 22:40:02 PDT
STOCKHOLM, April 11 (Reuter) - Grocer Harry Franzen was
delighted when the police arrived to stop him selling wine to
his customers.
Franzen is determined to challenge Sweden's stringent liquor
laws. He wants to be prosecuted for breaking the state's
monopoly on sales of wine and spirits so he can test Sweden's
rules against those of the European Union, which favour free
competition.
"I told the police I was guilty, that should be enough for
them to start a case. If the prosecutor drops the case I will
appeal his decision," he told Reuters.
Sweden, which last month negotiated a deal to enter the EU
from 1995, managed to retain its century-old retail monopoly by
convincing Brussels that alcohol abuse is one of its most
serious social problems.
But Franzen says small shopkeepers in communities like his,
the southern Swedish village of Rostanga, population 1,000, feel
the rules are out of date.
"We want to be able to do this. It's a competition issue,"
he said.
Franzen's protest is linked to the European Economic Area
(EEA) agreement which has covered Sweden since January 1, this
year. In essence it forbids monopolies of any kind, as does the
founding agreement of the EU, the Treaty of Rome.
A jolly, bearded 58-year-old, Franzen started selling one
litre sealed packs of white and red French, Italian and Spanish
wine for 65 crowns ($8.20) each shortly after his store opened
on Thursday.
He had sold 26 packs by late morning when three
plain-clothes policemen came into the shop, told him to stop,
and seized the remaining four boxes.
"They said I would be reported on suspicion of a crime in
contravention of the alcohol law," Franzen said.
"I said I will fight it, and gave them my lawyer's business
card."
In a few weeks' time the former bank manager expects to be
called to an initial court hearing.
Under Swedish law, only the state-owned Systembolaget
company is allowed to sell drinks containing more than about 3.0
percent alcohol for consumption off the premises.
With just over 900 outlets it had sales worth 19.5 billion
crowns ($2.45 billion) in 1992.
The monopoly's survival was a victory for the government,
and influential temperance movements. They say it is necessary
to protect the public from "the dangers of higher alcohol
consumption" such as higher mortality from liver cirrhosis.
Franzen says these arguments don't wash, and that allowing
thousands of small shops to sell wine alongside the weak beer
currently permitted on their shelves would not damage national
health.
Swedes have long become used, albeit reluctantly, to joining
lengthy queues in soulless Systembolaget stores that offer a
limited choice of wine and spirits at inflated prices. A bottle
of bottom of the range Scotch whisky costs about 250 crowns
($31.50).
"I want a sober handling of this issue. We're only talking
about wine here. People who can't handle it should stay away
from it," Franzen said.
He highlights the agressive new marketing measures now being
taken by Systembolaget, which involve targetting customer groups
with new products, increasing shop sizes and switching to
self-service from counter sale.
One effect of this, he says, is that local traders are
losing the ability to make money.
"I'm fighting for profits at the margins, for us to continue
having food shops out in our less-populated areas," he said.
"Wine is just one little bit for them to survive, but we need
it."
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