New Year’s Eve was the single busiest half day in the chain’s history, as 600,000 customers stocked up on booze ahead of the 3pm closing time.
Visitor figures for the Saturday before Christmas Eve were not far behind, with 530,000 customers winding their way to the alcohol stores. This represented a 26 percent increase on customer numbers for the equivalent Saturday in 2006.
Management at Systembolaget did not wish to make any comment other than to state that a buoyant economy was the likely cause for the record flow of customers. Total sales figures for the Christmas period have not yet been fully calculated.