Local shops, the retail decline and the value of small stores
We also look in the smaller, personal shops and the hidden gems. We choose them when the gift is the right one, never at the gift's expense. Here are the numbers behind why it matters, both for your gift and for the communities these shops keep alive.
The retail decline in Denmark
Denmark has lost around 1,170 physical shops in just five years, from 15,616 in 2020 to 14,446 in 2024, a fall of 7.5 percent. The decline is accelerating, and the single biggest year was from 2023 to 2024. Hardest hit are consumer electronics, down around 24 percent, and clothing and footwear, down around 15 percent. Rural and provincial municipalities are hit harder than the big cities, and in none of the country's 98 municipalities does online trade make up for the loss. When shops close, more than a business disappears, so do jobs, the life of the town centre and some of what makes a local community a good place to live.
See the source at SMVdanmarkLocal money stays local
When you shop at a local, independent store, a far larger share of the money stays in your local area than when you shop at a big chain. Studies from Civic Economics and the Institute for Local Self Reliance, among others, show that almost half of a purchase at a local, independent shop stays in the local area, around 45 percent, against about 14 percent at a chain, that is nearly three times as much. The money goes on to local wages, suppliers and other shops, this is called the local multiplier effect. The figures are international, mainly from North America, and are used as an indication, not as Danish fact.
See the source on the local multiplier effectDanes prefer local
Danes want to shop locally. In a population survey, 86 percent said they prefer to shop at their local stores, and only 8 percent disagreed. The main reasons are proximity, 81 percent, the wish to support local business, 57 percent, and price, 34 percent. The wish to support local grows with age, from 29 percent among the youngest to 75 percent among the oldest. The survey is from Eniro, conducted among 1,972 Danes, and it is a few years old, but is backed by newer signals of a growing desire to shop locally.
See the source at EniroThat is why My Gift Partner always includes the smaller places in the search, so your gift can be both more personal and do a little extra good.
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