When Dagbladet checked various stores on Thursday afternoon for the price of Hamar Julebrus in a six-pack in a glass bottle, the gap was wide.
On Meny’s website, such a six-pack cost NOK 131.40. This gives a price per liter of NOK 66.36.
At Spar Hasle in Oslo, the six-pack cost NOK 125.40, which gives a liter price of NOK 63.13.
In Coop’s online store, the price of Christmas soda is also the same as in the two Norgesgruppen chains Spar and Meny, at 63.33 per litre.
In Oda’s online shop, we found the six-pack of Christmas soda for NOK 77.40, over NOK 50 cheaper than Meny. The price per liter at Oda is NOK 39.09.
Kiwi’s Christmas catalog also indicates a significantly lower price than Spar, Meny and Coop, and takes first place with NOK 36.06 per litre.
SIX: This is not the price for a six with lager, but a six with Dagbladet Christmas soda bought at Spar. Photo: Frank Karlsen
sea View
More expensive than lager
The prices of, among others, Meny and Spar are more expensive per liter than different types of lager.
For example, the price per liter of half-litre six-packs of Ringnes, Hansa and Aas pilsner is NOK 59.80 at Meny.
For example, for 0.33 cans of Ringnes, the price per liter is NOK 76.36, which is ten NOK more than Christmas soda.
So there’s not much to spare for those who prefer a Christmas tipple to a stick around town during the après-ski season.
At Oda, however, you can’t get beer cheaper than Christmas soda. The online store charges NOK 53.83 per liter for a six-pack of Ringnes pints.
Norgesgruppen communications manager Kine Søyland says it is the chains themselves that are responsible for the price of the goods. It cannot therefore answer on what basis Spar og Meny fixes its prices.
As for the price difference between the beer and the Christmas soda, he says, however, that it could have something to do with volume.
– The smaller each unit, the more expensive the content becomes, relatively speaking, Søyland tells Dagbladet.
Four six!
– Very special
Storting representative and former agriculture and food minister Bård Hoksrud says he doesn’t particularly know Hamar and Lillehammer’s Christmas soda, as he himself swears by Trio’s telemark variety.
When informed of the results of Dagbladet’s investigation, he still thinks it’s strange that the price of Christmas soda is so high at some chains.
– It looks very special. It shouldn’t be more expensive than beer — there are far more taxes on beer than on soft drinks, Hoksrud tells Dagbladet.
Hoksrud, who also has a background as a store manager, speculates whether soft drinks might simply be mispriced by chains and that this is something they should look into.
– They should check whether this is the right price, because people will probably soon be able to tell each other that they should rather buy their Christmas soda somewhere else, says Hoksrud.
– Best prices on the market
Dagbladet has contacted both Spar, Coop and Meny for comment on the price difference, but has so far only managed to get a response from Spar.
However, they do not answer what is the reason for the price of the 0.33 liter glass bottle, but point to the 1.5 liter bottles as a cheaper alternative.
– Spar has 4 pieces. 1.5 liters of soft drinks of your choice (including Christmas soft drinks) on offer until Christmas. This gives a liter price of NOK 9.98 per litre, which is one of the best prices on the market, and therefore it is this type of Christmas drink that we sell by far the most, says Spar communications manager Hanne Evensen in a email to the Dagbladet.
Ringnes, owner of the Hamar and Lillehammer brewery, also declined to comment on the price difference.
– We are not involved in this, it is the shops themselves who decide the retail price, says communication manager Nicolay Bruusgaard to Dagbladet.
