Will Ikea change?
As many of us know, Ikea recently replaced all brand name food items with their own, which caused anger among Scandinavians abroad. Swedes like you and me had gotten used to buying our Abba’s sill, Kalles Kaviar, Marabou chocolate and more at Ikea food courts all over the world. Protest groups were started on Facebook and these groups collected thousands of members. And perhaps—perhaps—these protests have paid off. Discussions whether to keep a few original items are now underway at Ikea. “No decision has been made,” says Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson. “We listen to our customers and nothing is written in stone.”

3 out of 4 kids save
There’s a new trend in Sweden, and that is that young children save their weekly allowances. Swedbank and Sparbankerna have done a study on weekly allowances, and it shows that more and more children save part or all of their allowance. It has nothing to do with whether one’s parents are wealthy or poor. Patrick Grimlund, host of the reality television show “Lyxfällan,” which tackles financial problems, says, “If you grow up in a home where the respect for money is not significant, then it’s easier to take loans and buy things without having saved up for it first.” And Kristian Örnelius, at Swedbank’s Institut för privatekonomi, which is behind the study, agrees: “We don’t have studies where we can see this behavior continuing forward, but we still believe it is good to learn early.” The percentage of Swedish children saving their weekly or monthly allowance has increased. In 2001, 60% saved, in 2006 46%, and in 2011, 73% saved. Girls save an average of 116 SEK ($17) a month, and boys save 123 SEK ($18) a month. What do they save up for? Most kids have a hankering for a computer, a television or a TV game; next to those they save for the future without knowing exactly what it is they’d like to buy.
www.swedbank.se
www.sparbankernasriksforbund.se