Norway's state-owned wine monopoly turns 100
Wednesday marks 100 years since Norway's Vinmonopolet was established, with the state-owned wine monopoly becoming a national institution in its century-long existence.
One thing that can catch visitors off guard in Norway is that the state controls all retail sales of alcohol stronger than 4.75 percent via a government-owned monopoly.
The wine monopoly can catch residents off-guard, too, if they happen to forget the strict opening hours on weekends and public holidays.
While the concept of state-regulated alcohol sales may be off-putting for some, Vinmonopolet has become a national institution in Norway.
READ MORE: Why the Norwegian government controls the sale of most alcohol
Furthermore, Wednesday, November 30th, marks 100 years since the wine monopoly was established.
"It is the unlikely story of a state monopoly that became the people's favourite," managing director of Vinmonopolet AS, Elisabeth Hunter, said in a press release.
Norway had a complicated history with alcohol in the early 20th century, with it being banned at the start of the First World War to limit the consumption of potatoes and grain. After the war, a ban on spirits and hot wine was adopted to try and combat the damage alcoholism was doing to Norwegian society.
However, countries like Spain and Portugal threatened to stop importing Norwegian fish if they weren't allowed to export mulled wine to Norway. As such Vinmonopolet was established, and the ban on spirits was later lifted.
Many Norwegians will remember trips to 'polet', as the locals call it, being a lot more frustrating before the 2000s as customers could not select products from the shelves themselves. Instead, they had to wait for the store assistant to go and retrieve their alcohol, meaning long queues will form.
Luckily, Norway's wine monopoly has been able to change with the times.
"The people have loved and hated Polet, but fortunately, the development has gone in the right direction. With the creation of self-service kiosks from around the turn of the millennium, the establishment of speciality stores, the development of a world-class assortment and, not least, highly competent store employees, Norwegians are increasingly satisfied with the monopoly system," Hunter said.
Last year, Vinmonopolet sold 118.4 million litres of 35,000 different products from 340 stores.
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One thing that can catch visitors off guard in Norway is that the state controls all retail sales of alcohol stronger than 4.75 percent via a government-owned monopoly.
The wine monopoly can catch residents off-guard, too, if they happen to forget the strict opening hours on weekends and public holidays.
While the concept of state-regulated alcohol sales may be off-putting for some, Vinmonopolet has become a national institution in Norway.
READ MORE: Why the Norwegian government controls the sale of most alcohol
Furthermore, Wednesday, November 30th, marks 100 years since the wine monopoly was established.
"It is the unlikely story of a state monopoly that became the people's favourite," managing director of Vinmonopolet AS, Elisabeth Hunter, said in a press release.
Norway had a complicated history with alcohol in the early 20th century, with it being banned at the start of the First World War to limit the consumption of potatoes and grain. After the war, a ban on spirits and hot wine was adopted to try and combat the damage alcoholism was doing to Norwegian society.
However, countries like Spain and Portugal threatened to stop importing Norwegian fish if they weren't allowed to export mulled wine to Norway. As such Vinmonopolet was established, and the ban on spirits was later lifted.
Many Norwegians will remember trips to 'polet', as the locals call it, being a lot more frustrating before the 2000s as customers could not select products from the shelves themselves. Instead, they had to wait for the store assistant to go and retrieve their alcohol, meaning long queues will form.
Luckily, Norway's wine monopoly has been able to change with the times.
"The people have loved and hated Polet, but fortunately, the development has gone in the right direction. With the creation of self-service kiosks from around the turn of the millennium, the establishment of speciality stores, the development of a world-class assortment and, not least, highly competent store employees, Norwegians are increasingly satisfied with the monopoly system," Hunter said.
Last year, Vinmonopolet sold 118.4 million litres of 35,000 different products from 340 stores.
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