The icy climate in Norway may prove inhospitable to large superstore retail chains as well. According to a February 1999 article in the Architectural Record, sent in by a sprawl-buster, the government of Norway has voted to ban the construction of large shopping centers outside city center areas for 5 years. The ban covers any construction or expansion of shopping centers with more than 33,000 s.f. or retail space. Norway has reportedly seen a sharp increase in shopping center construction in the past decade. The country now has about 500 shopping centers, according to the magazine report. Ireland has also put a cap on the size of supercenters constructed in that nation.
Compare the policies of Ireland and Norway limiting big box development, to that of the administration of Tony Blair in the United Kingdom, where recent reports suggest that the government is planning to ease restrictions on superstores, which will allow a wave of new “hypermarkets” to be built in Britain. This relaxation of restrictions was cited as a key reason for Wal-Mart’s advance into Britain.
