Retail chain accused of fraud in Norway: "Sad and frustrating"

The news site E24 has talked to four former sales managers at various XXL stores in Norway, and all confirm the information about cheating.

- It was often cheated with larger, more expensive goods that could be difficult to sell, says Christian Sandmo Olsen, who was sales manager at a XXL store in Oslo.

Norwegian marketing rules require a store to sell a certain number of goods in order to arrange a sale. Therefore, employees bought hard-selling goods themselves at full price - only to return them shortly thereafter. Then it looked as if the products had been sold.

According to another sales manager, who has chosen to remain anonymous, the cheating should often have been addressed at various regional management meetings.

- The department stores that did not sell enough had to go home and place incorrect orders, the person tells E24.

XXL's Norwegian manager Anders Kjellén tells E24 that he was not aware of the cheating, and that the company will now investigate the charges.

- We are now investigating this closely, but we have not found anything to indicate that the practice described by E24's sources is widespread with us, he says in an e-mail to E24.

However, the head of XXL, Øivind Tidemandsen, tells Norwegian Dagens Næringsliv that he does not doubt the information.

"It is sad and frustrating that such tricks are used to reach goals," he says.