COPY LINK

SUNDSVALL

State alco maker aims to close plant

Swedish state-owned drinks maker Vin & Sprit (V&S Group) has said it will probably close its Sundsvall plant, which it says is running at below capacity.

Published: 12 December 2006 15:13 CET

V&S said the closure of the plant, which employs 80 people, would save 35 million kronor a year.

“Having a whole plant running at half speed is far too expensive in the long run,” said Rolf Cassergren, President V&S Distillers.

The plant is focused on making Vin & Sprits traditional Swedish spirits, including Skåne Akvavit, Grönstedts Cognac and Explorer.

V&S said sales of these lines, which are focused on the Swedish market, have fallen after restrictions on private alcohol imports from other EU countries were lifted three years ago.

“When Swedes buy alcohol outside the country they mainly choose the low-price alternatives. This does not benefit our Swedish spirits, which are of high quality, but are also more expensive,” said Cassergren.

V&S said it would now negotiate with unions before coming to a final decision.

V&S is best known as the maker of international market-leading Absolut Vodka.

Is Elijah Wood in Sundsvall and what is he doing there?

The main shopping street in Sundsvall. And Elijah Wood. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT & Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

The 35-year-old actor of Lord of the Rings fame was reportedly spotted visiting restaurant 'Tuppen' in the central Swedish town, which posted picture evidence on Facebook and Instagram late on Wednesday.

News of the unexpected celebrity visit quickly dominated local news headlines in Sweden, and was picked up by some of the national newspapers too, with growing excitement on social media. Several newspapers even asked readers to call them if they had any more information about the visit.

“Starstruck at Tuppen. Celebrity visit in the shape of Elijah Wood himself from the Lord of the Rings. Thanks for the visit!” wrote the restaurant.

Starstruck på Tuppen kändisbesök i Form av självaste Elijah Wood från Sagan om Ringen Tack för besöket! #restaurangtuppen #tuppenrestaurang #sundsvall #star #elijahwood

A photo posted by Restaurang Tuppen (@tuppenrestaurang) on Dec 28, 2016 at 4:01pm PST

Not everyone was convinced that it actually was the star, however, and some speculated that it could just be a lookalike or a clever PR trick by the restaurant itself to attract more visitors.

“I think it's fake. They had a customer who looked like him and wanted to joke,” wrote one person on their Facebook page. “Is it fake or is he looking for the ring in Sundsvall now?” wrote another.

Wood, who's currently starring in BBC America series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, visited Stockholm last month to perform at the Södra Teatern venue with his friend Zach Cowie as DJ duo Wooden Wisdom. His film production company SpectreVision, of which he is a co-founder, helped produce Swedish 2013 science fiction movie LFO.

With a population of some 50,000 people, historic sawmill town Sundsvall is the third biggest town in Sweden's northern region Norrland and Sweden's 21st biggest town overall. It is home to one of the campuses of Mid-Sweden University as well as Sweden's first-ever international casino.

Sundsvall's nearby island Alnön was recently voted one of the most beautiful places in Sweden. Restaurant Tuppen is one of a number of restaurants in the town. It opened in May this year and aims to serve locally produced meat and fish.

The reason behind Wood's supposed visit to the town was not immediately known, but it would not be the first time an international celebrity has fallen in love with unexpected places in Sweden.

Last year US-Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean revealed that he wanted to move to Sandviken outside Gävle. British actor Hugh Grant recently bought a house in Torekov, southern Sweden. And rapper Kanye West paid a visit to the rural town of Älmhult to convince its Ikea headquarters to let him design furniture.

Url copied to clipboard!