©Viktor Cvetkovic via Canva.com
Scandinavian consumers have begun boycotting U.S. goods and services with the causes ranging from President Donald Trump's suspension of military support to Ukraine to threats over tariffs and annexation.
The Salling Group, Denmark's largest grocery group and the operator of major supermarkets Bilka, Fotex, and Netto, is adding a black star to electronic price tags for European-made goods to allow consumers to choose them over products made in the U.S.
The move is being largely attributed to Trump's discussion of his interest in acquiring Greenland, a self-governing island that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. In an address to Congress on March 4, Trump said, "We need it really for international, for world security, and I think we're going to get it. One way or the other, we're going to get it."
In a LinkedIn post, Anders Hagh, CEO at Salling Group, said the retailer was only addressing inquiries from a number of customers who wanted to buy groceries from European brands. He added, "Our stores will continue to have brands on the shelves from all over the world, and it will always be up to customers to choose. The new label is only an additional service for customers who want to buy goods with European labels.”
Calls to boycott U.S. brands are also being loudly heard in Canada over Trump's recent remarks about annexing Canada as well as moves to impose tariffs.
Meanwhile, several groups have emerged in recent days on social networks in Denmark and Sweden, according to Euronews, calling for boycotts of U.S. goods due to the U.S.’s suspension of military support for Ukraine and the tariff threats on Europe. The Danish group "Boykot varer fra USA" and Swedish group "Bojkotta varor fran USA" both have around 80,000 members.
The groups urge members to stop buying major U.S. products, including Tesla, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Nike, and Levi's, as well as to not use services such as Netflix, Google, and Airbnb. Several posts offer alternative options to U.S. brands.
Jannike Kohinoor, creator of the Bojkotta varor fran USA group and a Swedish citizen, told Euronews, “When I can't vote in the U.S. elections or demonstrate on the streets in the United States, I feel that I have to do something."
In France, a Facebook group, Boycott USA: Buy French!, was created last week following the U.S. withdrawal of aid to Ukraine and has grown to over 22,000 members. According to RFI (Radio France Internationale), the site’s description reads, "Tired of financing American imperialism? Take action. Here, we are organizing to support the French and European economy by boycotting U.S. products."
The move comes as consumers have been increasingly boycotting brands based on their country’s origin. The anti-U.S. sentiment from European consumers comes as a favorable Americana appeal has helped support global growth for many U.S. brands in recent decades.
A 2021 survey from Pitney Bowes of consumers in Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Australia found nearly half (48%) of international online shoppers have an opinion about U.S. brands, although positive sentiments outweighed negative ones by a margin of two-to-one (33% to 15%, respectively).