Systembolaget

The following articles have been tagged with "Systembolaget":

Guru's guide: The best beers in Sweden right now

Lifestyle: 22 Feb 10
Darren Packman, one of Sweden’s leading beer experts, give his tips on what you should (and should not) be pouring into your beer glass. READ »

Hard rocking beer man: 'I brew in A Major'

Lifestyle: 22 Feb 10
“That’s the Way I Wanna Rock and Roll” is a track from Sigtuna Brygghus head brewer Mattias Hammenlind’s favourite hard rock band AC/DC. It also sums up nicely his approach to brewing beer, writes Darren Packman. READ »

January in Sweden: Week one, thirteenth day, thinking time

Lifestyle: 5 Jan 10
The Year in Sweden - January: Journalist Kim Loughran sketches a month by month account of the country he has called home ever since his accidental migration in 1966. READ »

Sweden heads toward new wine sales record

Society: 14 Dec 09
More than 170 million litres of wine are expected to fly off the shelves of Sweden’s state-owned alcohol monopoly Systembolaget by the end of 2009, setting a new record. READ »

Sweden and the art of standing in line

Analysis & Opinion: 30 Nov 09
Grab a ticket, wait your turn, then pounce. Paddy Kelly examines the vicissitudes and intricacies of queuing in Sweden. READ »

Swedes drinking more smuggled liquor

Society: 8 Sep 09
Swedes are buying less beer abroad, but are consuming twice as much smuggled liquor compared to the first half of 2008, according to a new report. READ »

Sales up at Swedish state liquor stores

Business & Money: 14 Aug 09
Sales at Sweden's state-run alcohol retail monopoly Systembolaget, measured in terms of the amount of goods sold, increased by 9.2 percent in the first seven months of 2009 compared to the same period last year. READ »

More booze thieves targeting Systembolaget

Society: 29 Jul 09
Shoplifting at the Swedish state alcohol monopoly retailer Systembolaget has reached record high proportions, new figures show. READ »

British journalist fishes for the real Sweden

Analysis & Opinion: 8 Jul 09
British author Andrew Brown talks to James Savage about living in Sweden in the seventies, fishing, and how immigration has changed the country. READ »

Strike could threaten Midsummer schnapps

Business & Money: 15 Jun 09
An unofficial strike at a Swedish alcohol retail monopoly warehouse south of Stockholm is currently underway, possibly threatening the supply of Sweden's favourite holiday beverage. READ »

Can I import alcohol over the internet?

Analysis & Opinion: 8 Jun 09
Ask The Local: Is it legal for a private person to import alcohol to Sweden via the internet? READ »

Norwegian in a coma after drinking wine bought in Sweden

Society: 26 May 09
A 59-year-old man from Arendal in Norway is lying in a coma, probably poisoned by wine that was bought in Sweden. State monopoly retailer Systembolaget removed the wine from its assortment on Tuesday. READ »

Police focus resources on morning drinkers

National: 25 May 09
Most drink-drivers get caught in the morning, a new report from Uppsala police shows. Police now propose focusing roadside alcohol checks to tackle the problem of pre-lunch drinkers. READ »

Mark Majzner: 'I like to stand up to the establishment'

Lifestyle: 22 May 09
Wine merchant Mark Majzner explains that his blog on The Local provides "an interesting insight into wine, alcohol politics, running your own business, and life in Sweden as an expat.” READ »

Booze monopoly faces privacy investigation

Society: 8 May 09
The Swedish Data Inspection Board has launched a probe into revelations that alcohol retail monopoly Systembolaget retains customer credit card details for up to ten years. READ »

Sweden's teenagers cut back on booze

Society: 27 Apr 09
Swedish teenagers are drinking less alcohol than they were a few years ago. It has become hip to be sober, according to the Swedish National Institute of Public Health. READ »

Thirsty Swede jailed over snot attack

National: 24 Apr 09
A Swede has been jailed for attacking a cashier at a branch of the state monopoly alcohol retailer on the Baltic island of Öland - when she refused to give him his cider for free, he blew his nose at her. READ »

The Swedish psyche – you could write a book about it

Analysis & Opinion: 15 Apr 09
Cautious? Self-confident? Dull? The Local’s Christine Demsteader peers behind the covers of a selection of books on getting to know the Swedes. READ »

Svartenbrandt remanded into custody for robbery

National: 12 Apr 09
Lars-Inge Svartenbrandt, a 63-year-old with a long criminal history, was remanded into custody on Sunday on suspicion of the armed robbery of a Swedbank branch in Säter in central Sweden. READ »

Notorious criminal arrested for robbery

National: 9 Apr 09
Lars-Inge Svartenbrandt, a 63-year-old with a long criminal history, is one of two individuals arrested for the armed robbery of a Swedbank branch in Säter in central Sweden, according to the police in western Sweden. READ »

Rosengård: Integration in the eye of the storm

Analysis & Opinion: 27 Mar 09
Malmö suburb Rosengård has come to symbolise Sweden's struggles with integration. AFP's Marc Preel examines a community grappling with its identity after a winter marred by rioting and clashes with the police. READ »

Dating in Sweden: sex, booze and mobile phones

Dating: 16 Feb 09
As American blogger Kommissarie F. Curiosa prepares to wrap up her almost seven-year sojourn in Sweden, she shares her reflections on Swedish mating and dating with The Local. READ »

Arla exec to take over as head of Systembolaget

Business & Money: 23 Jan 09
Sweden’s state-run liquor monopoly Systembolaget has named a successor to Anitra Steen, who is set to retire from her position as managing director on April 30th. READ »

Skiing on a shoestring in Åre

Travel: 22 Jan 09
With money troubles weighing heavier on Sweden than a fresh fall of snow, Jennifer Heape headed to the Åre ski resort to check out a more frugal alternative to the typical foreign alpine getaway. READ »

'Our three million members do not want us to sell wine'

Analysis & Opinion: 9 Jan 09
Wine merchant Mark Majzner is angered by his treatment at the hands of Sweden's powerful cooperative union after a lucrative deal fell through at the eleventh hour. READ »

Christmas booze gets stuck in the post

Analysis & Opinion: 12 Dec 08
Sending alcoholic drinks through the Swedish postal system can be a tricky business - unless you happen to order from the state alcohol retail monopoly, explains Mark Majzner. READ »

Teen blogger tops Swedish celebrity search list

Society: 10 Dec 08
Blogging teenager Isabella 'Blondinbella' Löwengrip was Sweden's most sought after celebrity in 2008, according to a new list released by Google. READ »

What do you think about Sweden's alcohol policy?

Analysis & Opinion: 5 Nov 08
Every week a panel of readers will be giving their views on the burning issues of the hour. This week: Sweden's tough stance on alcohol. READ »

Swedes smuggling less booze into the country

Society: 29 Sep 08
The smuggling of spirits and beer into Sweden has dropped by 35 percent during the first half of the year, according to researchers at Stockholm University. READ »

Whisky auction defies finance crunch

Society: 27 Sep 08
Swedish state monopoly alcohol retailer Systembolaget announced on Friday that Sweden's first whisky auction will be held on October 7th. Among the 400 bottles on offer include a Macallan from 1946. READ »

Insider uncorks secret liquor store code

Society: 9 Sep 08
The highly descriptive terms used to describe wines sold by Sweden's alcohol retail monopoly Systembolaget are riddled with secret code, according to an inside source. READ »

Anitra Steen to leave Systembolaget

Society: 4 Sep 08
Anitra Steen has informed the board of Swedish alcohol retail monopoly Systembolaget that she intends to step down from her post as managing director in May 2009. READ »

Dramatic increase in women alcoholics

Society: 30 Aug 08
Alcoholism among women in Sweden increased by 50 percent to 100,000 between 2003 and 2007, a new report from the National Institute of Public Health has shown. READ »

Norwegians flock to Sweden's liquor stores

Business & Money: 28 Aug 08
Norwegians are heading across the border to make their alcohol purchases in Sweden like never before. READ »

Swedes up beer intake during heatwave

Business & Money: 12 Aug 08
Swedes have been keeping the heat in check by upping their beer intake. READ »

Is Sweden obsessed with booze?

Analysis & Opinion: 6 Aug 08
As champagne showers come bucketing down over Stockholm, David Bartal wonders if excessive drinking is the key to successful living in Sweden. READ »

Six convicted over boozy bribes

National: 8 Jul 08
Six members of staff at drinks maker Vin & Sprit have been found guilty of paying bribes to managers at Sweden's state-run alcohol retail monopoly Systembolaget. READ »

Persson enlarges country manor

National: 2 Jul 08
Sweden’s former prime minister Göran Persson continues to expand his country estate in Sörmland County south of Stockholm, having recently purchased an additional 88 hectares. READ »

Union threatens blockade of Systembolaget

Business & Money: 11 Jun 08
A branch of the Syndicalist union is threatening a blockade of Systembolaget in protest what it sees as unfair treatment of one of the union’s members by the state-run liquor retailer. READ »

Drunken officer drove with bottle of Jägermeister in his lap

National: 11 Jun 08
A police officer from Umeå in northern Sweden has been indicted on suspicion of driving while heavily intoxicated after being stopped with an open bottle of Jägermeister in his lap. READ »

Swedish alcohol monopoly down the hatch

Analysis & Opinion: 6 Jun 08
Mark Majzner looks at how two landmark EU decisions have affected the alcohol retail trade in Sweden. READ »

A course in seduction

Dating: 22 May 08
Finding a dishy date is often the easy part. Ronnie Gilghrist offers culinary tips on how to keep your date coming back for more. READ »

Gotland: Sweden's Baltic beauty

Travel: 8 May 08
If you’re looking for an island paradise there’s no need to travel to the other side of the world. Just a few hours’ ferry ride from Stockholm, the island of Gotland has it all, writes René Rice. READ »

Sweden's state-owned firms lack diverse leadership

Business & Money: 5 May 08
The number directors in Sweden’s state-owned companies held by people of non-Nordic background has dropped by 50 percent. READ »

Saddle sore in Sweden: Trying to beat the no booze blues

Travel: 21 Apr 08
After a gruelling day in the saddle Bernie Friend looks forward to a beer at the Swedish Tourist Association (STF) hostel in Åsa. But the proprietor has other ideas. READ »

Swedish and English cider: How do you like them apples?

Analysis & Opinion: 8 Apr 08
State alcohol retailer Systembolaget claims to be committed to stamping out underage drinking. Why then does it describe its range of ciders in terms best understood by connoisseurs of children's candy? wonders cider aficionado René Rice. READ »

Sweden's papers show sense of humour on April 1st

National: 1 Apr 08
Carbonated tap water, a sell-off at liquor store monopoly Systembolaget, and a massive zoo exhibit for earthworms are just a few of the April Fool’s Day highlights from today’s Swedish newspapers. READ »

Pessimism rises among Swedish store owners

Business & Money: 15 Feb 08
Confidence in retail sales among Sweden’s merchants has hit a record low. READ »

State booze stores enjoy record Christmas

Society: 8 Jan 08
Record numbers of customers made their way to Systembolaget over the Christmas period. READ »

Internet booze ban could be axed

Politics: 30 Dec 07
Sweden could soon allow people to buy alcohol online and have it delivered home. But buying foreign booze won't be cheap. READ »

ICA tops satisfaction survey

Business & Money: 10 Dec 07
Embattled supermarket chain ICA has topped a customer satisfaction survey carried out by the Swedish Quality Index. READ »

Sales of spirits high

Business & Money: 5 Dec 07
Sweden's state-owned alcohol monopoly Systembolaget has reported that sales of spirits have increased this year. READ »

Champagne swirls as Swedes enjoy the good life

Lifestyle: 2 Dec 07
A buoyant economy has Swedes quaffing bubbly like never before, writes AFP's Delphine Touitou. READ »

The Lowdown: Swedish Advent

Lifestyle: 28 Nov 07
If the darkness of winter's already starting to get you down, the light and merriment –not to mention the calories and alcohol – of a Swedish Advent should help pick you up. READ »

Swedes smoke and drink less

Society: 30 Oct 07
The number of regular smokers in Sweden has fallen again to a record low, according to a new report into the nation's drug use. People are also drinking less than before. READ »

Euro-court throws out Swedish booze ban

National: 4 Oct 07
Sweden's ban on the private importation of alcohol breaches European law, the European Court of Justice has ruled. READ »

Homeless 'tidied away' for king's visit

National: 27 Sep 07
Homeless people in Malmö are complaining that they are being 'tidied away' so as not to blight a visit by King Carl Gustaf on Saturday. But police insist there are security reasons that justify the move. READ »

Sweden's alcohol laws set for changes

Society: 6 Sep 07
Swedes should soon be able to enjoy sake with their sushi, under new plans to modernize the country's alcohol laws. Restaurants will no longer have to serve warm food to get an alcohol licence. READ »

Scrapping alcohol monopoly 'would cause death and violence'

Society: 28 Aug 07
Abolishing Sweden's alcohol retail monopoly would cause consumption of alcoholic drinks to rise dramatically, leaving death, illness and violence in its wake, a new report claims. But critics of the current system say the report ignores existing problems. READ »

Beans, sandals and Japanese tea ceremonies

Lifestyle: 31 Jul 07
Tipping Point: Kathleen Harman enjoys a Japanese tea ceremony, eschews beans and brown rice and savours the bijoux charms of Stockholm's Ethnographic Museum. READ »

June surge for Swedish booze sales

Business & Money: 9 Jul 07
Systembolaget's sales continued to increase in June. Compared to the same month last year, sales at Sweden's state-owned alcohol retailer climbed 7.4 percent when measured in alcohol volume. READ »

Hardy Swedes gear up for classic challenge

Lifestyle: 15 Jun 07
Nicholas Chipperfield explains why 17,800 people from 34 countries are getting on their bikes by a lake in the middle of Sweden this weekend. READ »

Sweden defends state alcohol monopoly

Society: 5 Jun 07
The Swedish government has said that it will defend its restrictive alcohol policy and the Systembolaget retail monopoly. But there were also positive reactions to Tuesday's EU ruling, which paved the way for private imports of alcohol over the internet. READ »

European court slams Sweden's alcohol import ban

National: 5 Jun 07
Sweden's ban on the import of alcohol by private individuals is in breach of EU law, the European Court of Justice has found. 'The state has been caught with its pants down,' says lawyer. READ »

Immigrants blocked from getting Swedish ID

Analysis & Opinion: 15 Feb 07
The Local Exclusive: People moving to Sweden since January have been barred from getting Swedish ID cards – unless they have Swedish spouses. The muddle leaves thousands unable to carry out basic activities. READ »

Systembolaget punishes Absolut maker

Business & Money: 24 Jan 07
Systembolaget is being taken to court by fellow state-owned booze company Vin & Sprit after it removed 15 brands of wine from its stores as a punishment for alleged bribery. READ »

Champagne-swilling Swedes party like it's 2006

Business & Money: 2 Jan 07
If the wealth of a country can be measured in the amount of champagne consumed, then the country is enjoying an unprecedented boom. Sales for 2006 are likely to smash those of 1999. READ »

Sweden's alcohol import ban 'is legal'

National: 30 Nov 06
The Swedish ban on private individuals importing alcohol for resale does not contravene EU regulations, the advocate general of the European Court of Justice has said. READ »

Bottle smashes Swedish wine record

National: 29 Nov 06
A bottle of 1985 Romanee-Conti Burgundy has been sold for 87,000 kronor at an auction in Stockholm, making it the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold in Sweden. READ »

Swedes give cut-price stores low marks

National: 27 Nov 06
Cut-price supermarkets such as Netto and Lidl get low marks from Swedish consumers, who prefer traditional retail giants. Customers of Apoteket and Systembolaget would like to see the back of the monopolies. READ »

Swedish line wins in EU alcohol case

Society: 23 Nov 06
A ruling from the European Court has supported the Swedish government's line that alcohol bought over the Internet from another European country should be liable to Swedish duty. READ »

Persson and Steen 'jump housing queue'

Politics: 17 Nov 06
While many people wait in line for up to twenty years to be a first-hand contract on a rental apartment in Stockholm, there were no such obstacles for former PM Göran Persson. READ »

Militant tee-totallers smash booze store

National: 16 Nov 06
A branch of state alcohol chain Systembolaget has had its windows smashed in by anti-alcohol activists. The group spray-painted the words 'disgusting poison' onto one of the windows. READ »

Swedes want audio books for Christmas

National: 16 Nov 06
Christmas shoppers can breathe a sigh of relief – the present of the year is not a flat-screen TV or an iPod. All Swedes want this year is a talking book. READ »

Swedish millionaires' luxury lives revealed

National: 1 Nov 06
Over half of Swedish millionaires take foreign holidays once every quarter, a third have four or more residences, and one in ten owns four or more cars, a new survey reveals. READ »

Systembolaget managers admit to corruption

National: 27 Sep 06
Two of the six store managers in the third bribery trial surrounding the Swedish state-owned alcohol retailer, Systembolaget, have admitted to taking bribes. READ »

The end of Sweden?s one-party state

Analysis & Opinion: 18 Sep 06
The defeat of the Social Democrats could turn Sweden into a normal democracy, where it is common for power to change hands, argues Nima Sanandaji of Swedish think-tank Captus. READ »

Sweden's monopolies in the firing line

Politics: 13 Sep 06
Sweden's state monopolies on alcohol, pharmacies and gaming were created decades ago to promote social justice and public health, but now they are under threat from the European Union and a possible change of government. READ »

Profile: Göran Persson, the big man of Swedish socialism

Politics: 13 Sep 06
Respected by some as a skilled statesman and criticised by others as a power-loving politician, Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, who has been in power for a decade, is an innately political animal. READ »

"The Jobs are coming"

Analysis & Opinion: 7 Sep 06
The Social Democrats have got a boost from the Liberal Party's mistakes, but jobs remain a big election issue. Top Social Democrat Håkan Juholt argues that his party is tackling the problem. READ »

Swedish beer: things can only get better

Lifestyle: 25 Aug 06
There is more to Swedish beer than mass-produced lager. Eddie de Oliveira reports that a new wave of microbreweries are in danger of giving Swedish beer a good name. READ »

Sweden's new workers' party on the cusp of power

Analysis & Opinion: 22 Aug 06
The Social Democrats are happy to leave people on benefits, while we will help get them into work. That’s the message from a confident Alliance, Moderate Party secretary Sven Otto Littorin tells James Savage. READ »

A can of beer just got 10 öre cheaper

Society: 31 Jul 06
State alcohol monopoly Systembolaget is to reduce the prices of all its goods on Tuesday, after posting excess profits. But don't cancel the booze cruise to Denmark yet. READ »

Absolut Vodka employees face bribe charges

Society: 30 Jun 06
Ten people who worked for Sweden's state-owned drinks maker Vin och Sprit are being prosecuted for allegedly bribing managers of Systembolaget alcohol stores. READ »

Row over Golan Heights wine

Politics: 5 Jun 06
The decision by Sweden's state alcohol monopoly to label an Israeli wine from the Golan Heights as coming from 'occupied Syrian territory', has elicited criticism from an opposition MP. READ »

The Social Democrats' dilemma

Analysis & Opinion: 29 May 06
The economy is growing well, official unemployment is falling, and the welfare state is still supported by most Swedes. Are Social Democrats a victim of their own success, asks David Stavrou. READ »

Police investigate Swedish PM's house

National: 11 May 06
Sweden's prime minister Göran Persson is to be investigated by the police, amid suspicions that the country mansion he is building in Sörmland breaks safety regulations. READ »

Liberal leader demands ethical regulations

Politics: 15 Apr 06
Liberal Party leader Lars Leijonborg has proposed eight rules, coincidentally based on recent scandals linked to the Social Democrats, to prevent corruption among those in power. READ »

Persson reported over safety failings

National: 6 Apr 06
Prime minister Göran Persson and his wife Anitra Steen could be prosecuted for breaking Swedish health and safety laws. They are accused of not having followed safety regulations in the building of their big new house in Sörmland. READ »

Online booze ban breaks EU law

National: 30 Mar 06
Sweden's ban on importing alcohol for private use breaks EU monopoly law, says the Advocate General in the European Court - unlocking the door to online ordering. READ »

Steen pension will not be changed

Politics: 17 Mar 06
SEE ALSO: It pays to be on the inside
Systembolaget won't renegotiate Anitra Steen's pension, even though it breaks government rules. Hypocrisy, says the opposition: 'It's 'unfortunate that the prime minister's best pal is negotiating with the prime minister's wife.' READ »

Editorial: It pays to be on the inside

Analysis & Opinion: 16 Mar 06
Marita Ulskog appears to think it's OK for you to get a huge pension from a state company – as long as you're a Social Democrat insider. But is Anitra Steen really worth all that? READ »

Opposition slams pension for PM's wife

Politics: 14 Mar 06
Accusations of double standards are hurled at the government over the pension of state alco-shop boss Anitra Steen, which breaks government guidelines. This makes Sweden look like a 'banana republic' say Moderates. READ »

Systembolaget managers fined

National: 23 Feb 06
Fifteen former managers of Systembolaget stores in the south and west of Sweden are fined after being found guilty of accepting bribes from suppliers. READ »

No drop in alcohol tax - Nuder

Politics: 27 Jan 06
Plans for sharply reduced alcohol tax have been shelved by Sweden's finance minister Pär Nuder. He can't get support in parliament for the proposals, he claims. READ »

Stockholm Syndrome: Swedes all singled out

Dating: 13 Jan 06
The New Year may start with a bang in Sweden, but our Stockholm Syndrome correspondent's single Swedish friends seem to have given up on fireworks lighting up their love lives. READ »

Swedes drank less in 2005

Science & Technology: 30 Dec 05
Alcohol consumption in Sweden dropped this year for the first time since 1996, with imports from abroad the hardest hit, according to the Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs. READ »

Guilty verdicts in 'Systemet' bribery case

National: 19 Dec 05
Store managers at the Systembolaget alcohol retail monopoly accepted bribes from a supplier in return for promoting the company's products, a court in Stockholm has decided. READ »

Systemet suppliers blame bribes on ex-boss

National: 28 Nov 05
On the last day of the Systembolaget corruption trial, the former managing director of alcohol wholesaler Vin-Trägårdh - who was charged with bribery but was too ill to face trial - has been blamed for all the company's misdemeanours. READ »

Editorial: One last swig?

Analysis & Opinion: 25 Nov 05
Systembolaget is in its death throes, with the EU, corruption and a heavy dose of hypocrisy draining Sweden’s alcohol policies of credibility. READ »

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