Cross-Frontier Shopping 1986: Danish People

The cross-frontier shopping has faced a rapid development since Denmark became a member of EU. In the beginning of the 1970s about four million Danes crossed the land border every year. In 1986 the figure has increased to nearly nine million. The essential reason was the possibility to buy goods cheaper in the shops south of the land border. The Danish Institute of Border Region Studies has intermittently carried out studies which confirm that it is the opportunity for cross-frontier shopping that makes many Danes cross the land border. From the studies it appear that more than 90% are shopping when they are south the land border. This percentage has been rather constant for many years but seems to have increased in the period after the higher rate of duty in the austerity measures in 1986. For people living less than 125 kilometres from the border it is common to travel exclusively to shop. People living more than 125 kilometres from the border quite often combine the cross-frontier shopping with other activities in the border area