Christian bookstores in Norway struggle to survive

Vivo Kristiansand is one of the bookstores that will close its doors coming summer. That is confirmed by owner Arne Reinertsen. He says to Kristelig Pressekontor that rising costs are the main reason for the closure. Especially rent and electricity are becoming more and more expensive. That means that, even though the bookstore has made the same profit as a year earlier, this time, it is not enough to cover expenses. “We have to keep our obligations, and then the only right thing to do is to pack”, Reinertsen says.

Chain

He has been running the Christian bookstore Vivo in Kristiansand since 2016. It is the last bookstore of the chain, so after it disappears, its name will become history. It is not the first time that Reinertsen considered closing the bookstore, he tells KPK, as reported by Dagen. In the spring of 2020, he thought about it, too, as the Covid pandemic completely halted his sales. However, at the time, sales increased again by summer when tourists visited the place.

One of the last Christian bookstores in Stockholm fears closure

16-01-2023

This time is different, Reinertsen points out. There seems to be no other solution than closure. The bookstore owner thinks that the future looks very gloomy. “I have no faith that we will be able to operate profitably in the future. Higher rents, higher electricity costs and sharp price increases for goods and services mean no basis for continuing”, he says.

Conditions

The Christian bookstore Tro+ Bøker & Gaver AS in Drammen is already in the process of liquidation, KPK reports based on an article in Verdinytt. The owner of the store, Tore Kransberg, motivated the closure by saying that people have a tighter budget because of rising costs. “We do not see it as possible to run the store any longer under the current conditions.”