Sweden

The Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden were very early adopters of the internet and have a highly developed digital infrastructure. Online shopping is very common in the Nordics, yet research reveals that there is still growth potential in this region.

Centra, a direct-to-consumer and wholesale platform for global brands, has secured an investment of 10 million. It will use the new funding to power up product development and accelerate its international expansion. The platform specifically wants to challenge ShopifyPlus and enterprise-level platforms.

World-famous furniture retailer Ikea managed to grow its online presence last year. Its online channels welcomed more than 5 billion visitors and online sales increased with 73 percent. Even though most offline stores have opened, online sales now account for 26 percent of Ikea's total sales.

Briqpay, a Swedish company that offers solutions for B2B payments, has just closed a seed round of 2 million euros. The funding round was led by Swedish private equity firm eEquity. With the help of this money, Briqpay wants to become the leading B2B payment supplier.

My Mall claims to be one of the fastest growing marketplaces in Sweden at the moment. Last month, sales increased by almost 1,200 percent, compared with the same month last year. And during the first half of 2021, it also showed a similar increase.

Parcel delivery service Instabox has quadrupled its revenues in Sweden last year. Sales went from 6 million euros to 24 million euros. At the same time, the number of users grew more than 150 percent. Currently, over 2 million people in Sweden use the company's parcel locker solution.

Juni, a fintech company from Sweden that is aimed at ecommerce and marketing entrepreneurs, has raised 21.5 million dollars (18.2 million euros) in a Series A round of funding. The money will be used to focus on Juni's product development and to hire more people.

Vanbruun, a fast-growing online jewelry and diamond retailer from Sweden, has expanded to Germany. This is the first foreign market outside of Scandinavia where Vanbruun has launched its online shop.

PostNord invests significantly in parcel boxes in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. The logistics company wants to have more than 12,500 of its own parcel boxes in the Nordics before the end of 2022. And after that, investments in additional parcel boxes are planned.

Bambuser, a SaaS company from Sweden, has announced the launch of real-time virtual live shopping productions. With this solution, online shoppers can go on a virtual tour across scenic summer locations, while looking at fashion they can buy with just one click.

Instabox, a Swedish company that offers same-day delivery through its network of lockers, has acquired Red Je Pakketje. This is a Dutch company known for its same-day delivery with short time slots and sustainable transport.

Centra, a direct-to-consumer and wholesale platform for global brands, has been growing significantly during the pandemic last year. The Swedish company is now aiming for an aggressive, international expansion this year. It has made several new recruitments to achieve this goal.

Finnish postal and logistics service provider Posti will invest over 100 million euros in its growth. The company follows a new strategy, which is all about parcels and flows of goods. It wants to focus more on parcel traffic and logistics in Finland, Sweden and the Baltics.

Zalando has expanded its pre-owned online store Zircle to Scandinavia. Customers in Sweden and Denmark can now also buy pre-owned fashion via this online platform. And there's a very logical reason for this specific expansion to Scandinavia.

Ikea has made the decision to stop printing its famous catalog. For 70 years, it has been an inspirational guide for many consumers around the world. But times are changing, and so the Swedish company has taken this "emotional but rational decision".