Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Norwegian Consumer Protection Authority warns against misleading price cuts, car repair shops under pressure from winter traffic accidents, and other news making the headlines in Norway on Friday.
Consumer watchdog sounds alarm on misleading price cuts
The Norwegian Consumer Protection Authority is cautioning against misleading marketing tactics involving small price reductions.
According to Norway's Marketing Act, advertising a price decrease that proves to be insignificant could be seen as deceptive.
Recently, Rema 1000 launched a new price-cut campaign, claiming reductions on 200 items. However, many of these reductions are as little as 10, 20, or 30 øre.
While the Consumer Protection Authority refrained from commenting directly on Rema 1000's campaign, its Deputy Director, Marit Evensen, told TV2 that despite no specific requirement on the discount level, promoting negligible price cuts could still be misleading under the Marketing Act.
In its defence, Rema 1000's sales and marketing director, Pia Mellbye, highlighted the store's transparency in pricing.
Car repair shops overwhelmed by winter traffic accidents
Severe weather conditions have caused queues at car repair shops, with waiting times stretching up to six weeks due to increased demand, according to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK).
Trond Paulsen, general manager of Stavanger Auto, alerted customers to the extended delays caused by the winter road conditions.
"We're facing a busy period with waiting times of up to six weeks," Paulsen said.
In recent weeks, the snowy conditions in Norway have resulted in numerous front-end collisions.
"Many vehicles slid on ice and collided, often causing extensive damage beyond just the headlights," Paulsen said.
Jan Korneliussen, repair shop manager at Åsensenteret car workshop, echoed Paulsen's words, attributing the increase in business to the harsh winter road conditions.
"We're currently working overtime to manage the influx of vehicles," Korneliussen said.
Snow forces bus cancellations in parts of northern Norway
Heavy snowfall and strong winds have prompted the cancellation of bus services in Lofoten, northern Norway.
A yellow weather warning has been issued for the region, highlighting the challenging driving conditions expected on Friday.
READ MORE: What Norway's weather alerts actually mean
According to Reisnordland.no, all departures between Svolvær and Leknes on Friday have been cancelled.
An update on the situation is expected at 5 pm on Friday, following a reassessment of the weather and road conditions.
Norwegians face trial for cocaine smuggling in Australia
Two Norwegians facing charges of cocaine smuggling in Australia have learned that their trial is set to start on April 28th, 2025. The trial, scheduled for three weeks, will take place following their detention since January 2023, the newspaper Dagbladet reported on Thursday evening.
The Norwegians, accused of attempting to smuggle 82 kilograms of cocaine into the country, were arrested by the police's drug squad in Newcastle, 170 kilometres north of Sydney.
Despite their denial of involvement in cocaine trafficking, they remain in custody, facing the possibility of life imprisonment.
Australian media outlets reported that the details emerged during a recent court hearing via video link from the prison.
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Consumer watchdog sounds alarm on misleading price cuts
The Norwegian Consumer Protection Authority is cautioning against misleading marketing tactics involving small price reductions.
According to Norway's Marketing Act, advertising a price decrease that proves to be insignificant could be seen as deceptive.
Recently, Rema 1000 launched a new price-cut campaign, claiming reductions on 200 items. However, many of these reductions are as little as 10, 20, or 30 øre.
While the Consumer Protection Authority refrained from commenting directly on Rema 1000's campaign, its Deputy Director, Marit Evensen, told TV2 that despite no specific requirement on the discount level, promoting negligible price cuts could still be misleading under the Marketing Act.
In its defence, Rema 1000's sales and marketing director, Pia Mellbye, highlighted the store's transparency in pricing.
Car repair shops overwhelmed by winter traffic accidents
Severe weather conditions have caused queues at car repair shops, with waiting times stretching up to six weeks due to increased demand, according to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK).
Trond Paulsen, general manager of Stavanger Auto, alerted customers to the extended delays caused by the winter road conditions.
"We're facing a busy period with waiting times of up to six weeks," Paulsen said.
In recent weeks, the snowy conditions in Norway have resulted in numerous front-end collisions.
"Many vehicles slid on ice and collided, often causing extensive damage beyond just the headlights," Paulsen said.
Jan Korneliussen, repair shop manager at Åsensenteret car workshop, echoed Paulsen's words, attributing the increase in business to the harsh winter road conditions.
"We're currently working overtime to manage the influx of vehicles," Korneliussen said.
Snow forces bus cancellations in parts of northern Norway
Heavy snowfall and strong winds have prompted the cancellation of bus services in Lofoten, northern Norway.
A yellow weather warning has been issued for the region, highlighting the challenging driving conditions expected on Friday.
READ MORE: What Norway's weather alerts actually mean
According to Reisnordland.no, all departures between Svolvær and Leknes on Friday have been cancelled.
An update on the situation is expected at 5 pm on Friday, following a reassessment of the weather and road conditions.
Norwegians face trial for cocaine smuggling in Australia
Two Norwegians facing charges of cocaine smuggling in Australia have learned that their trial is set to start on April 28th, 2025. The trial, scheduled for three weeks, will take place following their detention since January 2023, the newspaper Dagbladet reported on Thursday evening.
The Norwegians, accused of attempting to smuggle 82 kilograms of cocaine into the country, were arrested by the police's drug squad in Newcastle, 170 kilometres north of Sydney.
Despite their denial of involvement in cocaine trafficking, they remain in custody, facing the possibility of life imprisonment.
Australian media outlets reported that the details emerged during a recent court hearing via video link from the prison.
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