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Home BUSINESSLow prices pull Norwegians to Näätämo
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Mon, 04 Jul, 2016 12:09:29 AM
FTimes – STT Report, Jul 4
 
Norwegian tourists at Näätämö shopping centre. File Photo – Lehtikuva.
There are only a few dozen residents in Näätämo in Inari, but there are two supermarkets, a couple of other stores, a motel, a physiotherapist and a day-care centre.
 
On Saturday afternoon, the air of the peaceful village is filled with voices. 
 
The language is Norwegian. Large cars are parked in the supermarket parking lot and the drivers were drinking coffee on the terrace. 
 
Most likely, they have come from Kirkenes, Norway, some 50 kilometres away from the locality.
 
K-market retailer Juha-Matti Lias came here two years ago as an entrepreneur. 
 
He was attracted by the exotic locale as well as the opportunity for success.
 
“Our rich neighbour is a vital necessity. [If we relied on] our own population base, there would be nothing here,” said Lias.
 
Just next door to the K-market is another supermarket, where Juha Kekäle and his brother are the third generation of shopkeepers.
 
“For us living here, the forest and nature are important,” Kekäle said.
 
For their customers, the low prices of the Finnish markets compared to Norway are the priority. 
 
NordMarket sells everything from candy to heaters. About 90 per cent of its customers are Norwegians.
 
On the cafe’s blackboard, someone has written in Finnish, “Greetings from Kotka,” probably on their way to Norway.
 
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