The retail sector in the Nordic countries: A description of the differences, similarities, and uniqueness in the global market

We present an overview of the retail sector in the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. We apply the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and the Concentration Ratio to estimate the market concentration in the retail sector in each of those countries. The level of concentration in the retail trade in the Nordic countries is relatively high as compared to other European countries, which is reflected in low customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the Nordic countries have a relatively high proportion of their total population living in the capital area, and we consider how that affects their retail trade. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.