Swedish News:

Will Ikea change? 3 out of 4 kids save.  

  • You used to be able to buy Kalles at Ikea food courts all over the world, then Ikea stopped selling brand items other than their own, causing outrage among Swedes living abroad. Will they now reconsider? Kalles Kaviar is the salty fish roe spread manufactured by Abba Seafood that almost all Swedes are addicted to. It is based on a several hundred-year-old recipe originating from Lysekil, on the Swedish west coast. In France this type of caviar is sometimes referred to as Caviar de Lysekil. Kalles Kaviar was launched in 1954.
  • Will Ikea change?
    As many of us know, Ikea recently replaced all brand name food items with their own, which caused anger among Scandinavians abroad. Swedes like you and me had gotten used to buying our Abba’s sill, Kalles Kaviar, Marabou chocolate and more at Ikea food courts all over the world. Protest groups were started on Facebook and these groups collected thousands of members. And perhaps—perhaps—these protests have paid off. Discussions whether to keep a few original items are now underway at Ikea. “No decision has been made,” says Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson. “We listen to our customers and nothing is written in stone.”

  • More and more children in Sweden put their weekly or monthly allowances in their piggy bank, rather than use it right away. 70% of Swedish kids ages 6-17 receive an allowance, which is fewer than five years ago. 73% must work for it, either by cleaning their rooms or doing their homework. Swedish kids (ages 6-8) receive an average allowance of 26 SEK ($3.8) a week.
  • 3 out of 4 kids save
    There’s a new trend in Sweden, and that is that young children save their weekly allowances. Swedbank and Sparbankerna have done a study on weekly allowances, and it shows that more and more children save part or all of their allowance. It has nothing to do with whether one’s parents are wealthy or poor. Patrick Grimlund, host of the reality television show “Lyxfällan,” which tackles financial problems, says, “If you grow up in a home where the respect for money is not significant, then it’s easier to take loans and buy things without having saved up for it first.” And Kristian Örnelius, at Swedbank’s Institut för privatekonomi, which is behind the study, agrees: “We don’t have studies where we can see this behavior continuing forward, but we still believe it is good to learn early.” The percentage of Swedish children saving their weekly or monthly allowance has increased. In 2001, 60% saved, in 2006 46%, and in 2011, 73% saved. Girls save an average of 116 SEK ($17) a month, and boys save 123 SEK ($18) a month. What do they save up for? Most kids have a hankering for a computer, a television or a TV game; next to those they save for the future without knowing exactly what it is they’d like to buy.
    www.swedbank.se
    www.sparbankernasriksforbund.se