Updated 10:00 | Published at 09:45
Alex Tengvall. Photo: Press
The Danish wine seller Winefinder is allowed to continue selling wine in Sweden after a ruling in the Supreme Court.
Now the e-commerce company plans to grow, but does not want to become a symbol of the collapse of the Swedish alcohol monopoly.
– There must be plenty of champagne, says owner Alex Tengvall about the celebration.
After a long court process in several instances, it is now clear that foreign online wine shops are allowed to market and sell alcohol in Sweden.
The Danish company Winefinder, with Swedish owners, received the green light from the Supreme Court on Friday to continue with its e-commerce of wines in Sweden. Thus, Systembolaget was not heard about the demand to stop the Danish company.
“Can celebrate in different places”
Alex Tengvall, chairman of the board and major owner of Winefinder, says he is relieved after the verdict. In October 2007, Winefinder received permission to trade, but right from the start the legitimacy of the business in Sweden was questioned due to the Swedish alcohol monopoly – which is now being challenged.
– It feels fantastic that it is now over. We are a small company and this has been going on since 2007. Now we can look ahead, says Alex Tengvall.
What do you celebrate with?
– We are a spread-out company, so we get to celebrate in different places. I myself am on Möja in the archipelago. There must be plenty of champagne.
Can take “a few percent” from Systembolaget
Alex Tengvall does not agree that Winefinder will become a symbol that Systembolaget’s monopoly is now in flux.
– This is a small part of sales, there are no volumes. It may take a few percent of the sales from Systembolaget. So I don’t think e-commerce is the threat to the monopoly. I think it’s other things, for example that they are suing us in a process that was actually already finished.
– I want to become a symbol of an alternative. It feels like going backwards that the monopoly will gain an even stronger position in 2023. If we had lost, you as a Swede would not be able to shop from a vineyard in Italy with shipping to the door. We can gladly become a symbol that there are other possibilities.
Even though Winefinder’s market share in Sweden is small today, the ruling can provide conditions for e-commerce companies in alcohol to now expand. Alex Tengvall confirms that this is also the plan for Winefinder.
– This has slowed us down for four years because we have had to spend money on this and not development. Now it is possible to grow, expand and invest more.
One of Winefinder’s former co-owners was the Di Luca family, which owns the food giant Zeta. Di Luca invested in Winefinder in 2018, but exited the company in 2020.