Systembolaget, the Swedish retail monopoly, announced in its latest newsletter that their market share in Sweden is growing (of course, ‘monopoly’ does not quite mean monopoly). Systembolaget now provides 54% of all alcohol that Swedes consume, up from a low of 48% in 2004. The market share of spirits was 39% (up from 36%). In other words, 61% of all spirit consumed in Sweden does not come from Systembolaget. The market share for wine is 74%. It must be a challenge being tasked with being the tool for moderating Swede’s consumption when half of the consumption come from other sources.
