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Suzanne Southard started Texas Trading in Dallas last fall,exporting clothing, accessories, sports equipment and snack foodsto finicky Swedish buyers. In just a few months, her homebasedcompany had racked up sales of $30,000. If you're thinking offollowing in 36-year-old Southard's footsteps and exporting toSweden, keep the following information in mind:
Sweden is an advanced, industrialized country whose imports andexports, in recent years, have comprised two-thirds of its grossdomestic product. The third-largest country in Europe, it'sgenerally thought of as a low-turmoil, superior export market.What's more, Swedes enjoy a high standard of living and canafford to purchase high-end, high-quality products.
Among the benefits of exporting to Sweden: The country hascomparatively reasonable tariff rates and the second-lowestcorporate tax rate in Europe. It's an open market and a memberof the European Union; as such, it provides access to 370 millionconsumers. Some business owners use Sweden as a gateway to emergingBaltic markets. However, a value-added tax is added to the cost ofyour product when it reaches the consumer; keep this in mind whenpricing your product.
Swedish export experts say hot markets for entrepreneurs includecomputers and software, sporting goods (especially ski, hockey, iceskating, golf and equestrian equipment), medical equipment,automotive parts and services, and food items (especially snackfoods).
Swedish tastes in packaging tend to run along minimalist lines.Swedes are very environmentally conscious, so beconservation-minded when designing packaging, and don't use toomuch plastic. "The simpler the packaging, the better,"says Richard Koehler, president of Houston-based IKR Corp., aninternational marketing consultancy. Not only will Swedishconsumers appreciate your minimal packaging, but it will help lowershipping costs, too.
Special Report
Want to know what Malaysia's major imports and exports are?Need some insights into Venezuela's economic outlook?Seattle-based International Financial Data Ltd.'s (IFD) countryreports are required reading for entrepreneurial exporters.
The two- to three-page country-specific reports containup-to-date currency information; gross domestic product growthrates; tidbits on population, language, political climate andreligion; the country's major exports and imports; plus otherpertinent information. IFD can also prepare an in-depthindustry-specific report for your business.
In addition to country reports, IFD offers industry, market andforeign company analysis, and can help in choosing target marketsand developing global strategies. For more information, call (206)224-2888.
For More Information
Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, New York City,(212) 838-5530, fax: (212) 755-7953, (http://www.sacc-usa.org)
Invest in Sweden Agency, New York City, (212) 702-8780,fax: (212) 702-8783, (http://www.isa.se)
Swedish Trade Council, 011-46-8-783-85-00, fax:011-46-8-662-90-93, (http://www.swedishtrade.se)
U.S. Commerce Department, Sweden, 011-468-783-5300, fax:011-468-660-9181
Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, 011-46-8-613-1800, fax:011-8-411-2432
Swedish National Board of Trade, 011-46-8-791-0500, fax:011-46-8-20-0324
Federation of Swedish Commerce and Trade, Stockholm,011-46-8-663-5280, fax: 011-46-8-662-7457
Contact Sources
DHL Worldwide Express, (800) CALL-DHL, (415) 802-4957,(http://www.dhl.com);
IKR Corp., 17 S. Briar Hollow Ln., #202, Houston, TX77027, (713) 627-3520;
International Financial Data Ltd., 1420 Fifth Ave.,#2200, Seattle, WA 98101;
Texas Trading, (214) 691-9499, txtrade@dhc.net>.
