The Swedish Government is putting one of the world’s best-selling vodkas up for sale to the highest bidder:
STOCKHOLM ? Thanks in part to its renowned advertising campaign, a vodka distilled in the southern Swedish town of Ahus has become the world’s No. 3 premium spirit and one of the country’s most recognizable brands.
So would the owner ? the Swedish government ? consider selling the crown jewel of Scandinavian liquor to a foreign buyer?
Absolutely.
After 90 years in state hands, Absolut vodka is about to be offered for sale with its parent company V&S Vin & Sprit, along with five other companies in which the state holds significant stakes. The government is to seek parliamentary approval for the V&S sale Friday.
And it’s not just the alcohol business that Sweden is getting out of:
The state sellout of banking group Nordea, telecom TeliaSonera, Nordic bourse operator OMX, real estate company Vasakronan and mortgage lender SBAB to help pay off the country’s debt represents the biggest ideological shift since the center-right coalition government ousted the long-ruling Social Democrats in October.
Privatization. What a radical concept.
