How to sell alcohol? Nordic alcohol monopolies in a changing epoch

Abstract

The principles of the EU internal market have made it difficult to maintain effective national regulation in the public health arena. The EEA agreement and EU membership resulted in the abolition of all the monopolies on alcohol except at the retail level in the Nordic countries. The article examines how the Nordic alcohol retail monopolies have developed and reacted to national and international pressures on their activities from the mid 1990s to 2006. The article also analyzes what effects the changing surroundings of the Nordic alcohol monopolies have had on the monopolies' present tasks and positions. The method used in this study is document analysis and interviewing. The material analysed includes annual reports of the Nordic alcohol monopolies, their web pages, reports and brochures, and laws and regulations that pertain to the monopolies. The article shows that the monopolies have worked purposefully to make themselves popular among the population, with an increased focus on customer service. These changes are based upon both international pressures and changes in perspective within politics in general, where a slow transition from a collectivist solidarity perspective to a more individualistic lifestyle perspective can be discerned.