How the shops will survive the "store death"

For anyone who doubts the seriousness of the situation for the Swedish stores, it is enough to google the "retail". What meets one is a fierce stream of ominous headlines about everything from bankrupt toy stores to shoe chains that are forced to hit almost all of their stores.

And if you follow the stock exchange it is no less obvious. For example, the clothing chain MQ's share has lost 70 percent of its value since the turn of the year and RNB, which owns Polarn O.Pyret and Brothers, among others, has lost a little over a third.

But after all, it's not just darkness. Some store chains are going really well and some previous crisis stores seem to have bottomed out, or at least started to level out. And at Svenska Handel, five strategies have been identified that the stores are now using to attract people to come in and shop.

In short, it is about being both digital and as a physical store - and to merge these different shopping areas "seamlessly".

- It is important to bring the digital into the stores. If sizes are found or the customer demands a model that is not in store, then you should be able to place an order directly in the store and then either be able to pick it up in the store later or get it home run, says Elisabet Elmsäter Vegsö, nutrition policy expert at Swedish Trade.

If you place an order online, you should be able to pick it up at the store.

- This way, you maintain customer contact and drive people to the cities. In this way, you can maintain living cities even at a time when more and more digital goods are being traded, says Elisabet Elmsäter Vegsö.

Purchases of goods are increasingly linked to a range of related services. If you talk about electronics, for example, it is about installation and service. And when it comes to clothing, for example, it can be about offering to sew or sew garments.

- We are seeing this more and more. It is part of attracting customers to stores through offers that cannot be obtained online, says Elisabet Elmsäter Vegsö.

This is about an increasing number of stores trying to broaden their business.

- Cafes today are a relatively common complement in both fashion stores and bookstores, for example. It is becoming increasingly common to combine different offers to drive flows. It's about giving customers the "little extra" that makes it worth visiting the stores, says Elisabet Elmsäter Vegsö.

Many chains are currently reviewing their range of stores and closing again in unprofitable places, instead of opening in places that previously did not fit their concept. The store concepts are also being reviewed.

- Stores that previously existed only outside the city centers are now developing new concepts on a smaller scale, which they supplement with, for example, locations within the cities. Among other things, the grocery store has developed smaller stores with an assortment adapted to the customer and the location in central locations. We also see furniture companies opening in the center where they only offer certain parts of their range. We will probably see more of this in the future, says Elisabet Elmsäter Vegsö.