Spotify had an unusual initial public offering (IPO), unlike traditional IPOs, the Swedish tech company chose to not hire investment banks as underwriters.
The company will not be issuing new shares or seek to raise money through the process of going public. The IPO gives investors the opportunity to buy and sell shares in the Swedish music streaming service on the New York Stock Exchange’s first-ever direct floor listing. By choosing a direct listing, employees and longtime shareholders could sell the stock immediately whereas, for a typical IPO, they’d have to wait for the share lockup period to end, to sell their shares.
Even the start of their IPO had an unusual twist – the New York Stock Exchange raised the wrong flag outside their building. Under Spotify’s banner, two American flags and a Swiss flag hung for a few minutes before they changed it to the Swedish flag.
The stock opened at $165.90 per share, giving Spotify a market value of nearly $30 billion.
Spotify’s market value makes the music-streaming company more valuable than many other popular internet companies, including Twitter ($21 billion); online storage company Dropbox ($13 billion) and Snap ($17 billion). Spotify’s competitor, Pandora Media, has a market cap of $1.2 billion.
Spotify had 71 million paying users at the end of 2017, a raise from their 48 million paying users in 2016. The company’s monthly active users, which includes paid and free users, makes up for a total of 159 million.
Ever dreamt of going to the paradise islands of Hawaii but don’t feel like the money will last? Or maybe you’re not sure what to do?
Here are my best tips for a cheap and exciting trip!
Where do I stay in Hawaii on a low budget? Hotels can be really expensive on Oahu, just like everything else. One tip is Airbnb. It’s the perfect mix of the comfort of a hotel and the freedom to stay in someone’s house. Hostels are the cheaper option and can be found mainly around Waikiki from around $28/per night. For anyone wanting a little more of an adventure and love to meet new people, I suggest Couchsurfing.
What is Couchsurfing, you might ask? Couchsurf is a community of people lending out their coach to other travelers for FREE. Yes, you heard that right, all you have to do is to become a member on their website and t you are good to go. This has a little twist to it though: Like I said, this is for anyone looking to meet new people. If you are not very social and chatty this might not be for you. Part of Couchsurfing is the cultural experience and meeting new people, and not just a free place to crash.
North Shore, next to turtle beach.
Waikiki – the city the never sleeps Let’s start with the famous Waikiki. This is where most of the tourists gather, sunbathing on Waikiki beach or taking a stroll along the shopping streets where you can find everything to shop or eat.
The streets of Waikiki.
For the Beach Lover
Mermaids caves The Mermaid Caves are hidden caves under the rocks on the shore next to Kalaniana’ole Beach Park, where the water comes in from the ocean and the bottom is filled with beautiful shells. Inside, the water is glowing and you feel just like a mermaid down there. Be careful going down though, and make sure you have someone to help you get up from the caves since this might be a bit tricky.
Mermaids cave.
Sandy Beach This is a beautiful beach on the eastern side of the island with good waves for surfing. There are always plenty of food trucks parked here, so you don’t need to pack any lunch for this beach.
Turtle Beach Getting to this beach up on the north shore can be quite tricky. First off, there are no signs that say where this beach is but you can find it on Google Maps. Second, when you arrive all the signs tell you that you can not park there, but everyone does anyway. Just wait until 10 am and the place is packed with tourist trying to get the glimpse of the famous turtles.
Shark’s Cove Sharks Cove has been rated among the top 12 Best Shore Dives in the world. If you love snorkeling, this is a great place to stop by. Make sure to get here before 9am since parking spots tend to fill up quickly.
Perfect snorkeling spot in Shark Bay.
Kailua Kailua is a nice quiet town on the eastern side of the island where not so many tourists go. The famous picturesque Lanikai beach is located here as well as Kailua beach where the water is nice and quiet. This is a perfect place for renting kayaks or paddle-boards. While in Kailua, don’t miss out Kimo’s famous Macadamia nut sauce on his delicious pancakes at Boots and Kimo’s.
Lanikai beach.
For the Hiker
Jungle Hike If you are into hiking and want something a little more challenging where you feel like you are in a Tarzan movie, definitely go for Mt Olympus. This is one of Oahu’s best hikes. It takes you through a rainforest and up in the mountains, surrounded by jungle and amazing views. It is a bit of a challenge and this 6-mile hike takes about 4-5 hours but is definitely worth it once you get up there.
View from the hike of Mt Olympus.
Manoa Falls Parking here costs $5 and it is open from 8.a.m- 4.p.m. The falls itself is not so ravishing and actually quite small and a lot of people take this little hike to Manoa Falls but don’t let this scare you, the 0.8-mile hike through the jungle is amazing.
Manoa falls.
Koko crater trail This trail leads up an old abandoned railway and is quite the workout to reach the top of the Koko head crater. The trail is steep and about 1.8 miles long.
Coco-crater railway trail.
Hanauma Bay Hike Going up towards this hike there are signs saying that you are not allowed to pass, but the guards say it’s fine and the only hike that you are not allowed to take on Oahu is the famous “Stairway to Heaven”. This hike takes you up and around Hanauma bay with the view over the beautiful bay that is perfect for swimming and snorkeling. The hike is free but if you want to drive down and visit the bay the charge $7/person.
Hanauma Bay from above.
Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden A botanical garden that is open and free to the public. Take a drive through the rainforest below the mountains and stop by the visitor section for a little stroll down to a gorgeous lake that is located in the middle of the garden.
The lake in Ho’omaluhia botanical garden.
Tropical farms Definitely worth a drive-by, especially if you are a coffee and nut lover. When you go inside you can try their famous macadamia nut coffee and lots of different macadamia nuts for free. It is located close to Waikanae on the east side of the island.
Kimo’s famous macadamia nut sauce pancakes and pitaya bowl at Boots and Kimo’s.
How to get around the island My best tip for getting around the Island is definitely to rent a car, this way you can reach any hidden cove or secret spot you want. There are buses that go around for $2.75/one way or $5.50 for a day pass, you can find more on prices and routes here.
This article was published on the 1st of April, 2018, and was meant as an April fools joke. The information and the quotes are entirely made-up.
Orkla Foods, the company behind the famous Swedish classic, Kalles Kaviar, has decided to cease all production of the famous paste before summer 2018. The kaviar made from smoked roe, salt and oil have been around in Sweden since the 1950’s.
But now the tube that has long been a standard item in the Swedish fridge for so long is saying goodbye. “The international market just doesn’t want anything to do with it. They can’t eat it,” says Margareta Lantz at PR Manager at Orkla Foods. “Everyday we get complains from foreign citizens, Americans, Brits and even from Japan, asking us to stop the production of Kalles Kaviar after forcefully having been offered to try it by a Swede,” she says. “It has become a massive problem. No one likes Swedish people anymore”
And she might be right. This video of Americans trying Kalles Kaviar was released by Kalles Kaviar three years ago, and you can clearly see their dislike for it.
The news that will be made official by Orkla Foods tomorrow, brings sadness and hopelessness to every Swede that hears it. Bengt Östgren says “It’s hell! I never thought the day would come”
We can no other than agree. It is with heavy hearts we bid farewell to Kalles Kaviar.
There’s a new candy store in town here in New York City! Swedes in the States attended the grand opening of the new Swedish candy store, Bon Bon, to figure out more about this new up-and-comer, if the candy is legit and if we could get real chips for our Fredagsmys!
Safe to say, Bon Bon checked all our boxes. Bobby Persson, Selim Adira, and Leonard Schultz are the three Swedes behind this dreamy candy store.
Bon Bon has all the Swedish candy you can think of, including chips from OLW, Estrella holiday dip, Marabou, Licorice and everything else from sweet to sour. The grand opening aligns perfectly with Easter, so make sure to pay them a visit at 130 Allen Street in Manhattan, to get yourself a Swedish Easter egg!
Selim Adira and Bobby Persson
“Growing up is a trap”Hanna Norden and Mr. Liquorice
Fredagsmys!
Lisa Larsson and Hengameh Tadayon
A selection of Kalles Kaviar, O’hoj Chocolate Sauce, Ramlösa and Mer.
*** Local Caption *** Panta plastpåsen
Foto: Stefan Nilsson
A year after the Swedish grocery store Hemköp started recycling its plastic bags and giving their customers money back, Denmark’s Netto follows.
Scandinavians use approximately 80 plastic bags per person and year, according to Expressen.se. The European Union (EU) wants to decrease this amount by half, and a way to do that is to give cash back on every plastic bag that’s returned to the store.
The hope is that every person will reuse the same bag as many times as possible and can then return it and get around 15 cents back. Hemköp is not the only Swedish store that’s doing this, Teknikmagasinet, together with pantapåsen.se, has since the summer of 2016 also worked on giving cash back for their plastic bags.
Following Sweden’s example on giving cash back is a collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Danish grocery store Netto. They are introducing it in all of their stores on the Danish island Fyn on April 16, but the hope is that this will reach all of the 500 Netto stores in Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and Germany.
“This is a really good day for nature and wildlife. We must not forget that eight million ton of plastic reach our nature and hurts our wildlife. With this new system do we not only get the plastic back and burn it, but we actually recycle it,” said WWF’s Danish director in chief, Bo Øksnebjerg to TV2.
Did you know Sweden is ranked as the best country in the world for paid vacation days? Yes, it’s true! Tied with Brazil, both countries have 41 days off EVERY YEAR! (which includes paid vacation days and paid holidays).
So what do the Swedes do with all of their vacation days? Let’s find out!
Source: Musement.com
The results… According to a study by Vagabond SE, a Swedish travel magazine, Swedes favorite vacation spot is *drumroll*… Spain. Famed for its warm weather, sandy beaches, and plenty of things to do, it’s no wonder why Swedes love this country.
After Spain, we have Germany, Denmark, Greece, and Finland in the top 5. There were over 6 million trips to these 5 countries combined, out of a total of 11.7 million total trips abroad – That’s more than half!
When asked why they travel, the majority of Swedes responded, “for peace, quiet, and relaxation”. It’s no surprise, then, why Greece (4), Croatia (11), Thailand (15), and Cyprus (20) landed on this list, as they’re extremely popular for relaxing. Other answers included seeing new cultures, eat and drink well, and go sight-seeing to museums and touristy spots.
FUN FACT: The average cost to travel abroad was reported to be 15,600 SEK/person (~$1,900).
What about domestic travel? Aside from jet-setting to international destinations, Swedes love exploring their own country. According to the study, Swedes traveled over 28 million times within their own borders – which is 2.5 times more than they traveled internationally!
What changed in 2018? 2018 had a lot of changes in terms of international travel, especially the countries that were visited by Swedes. Finland, Estonia, Austria, the Netherlands, and Hungary had the most increase in visitors, with the Netherlands jumping an incredible 19 spots up on the list.
Eastern European countries have become trendy, with extremely cheap prices, lovely beaches, and plenty of nightlife. Favorite countries on this side of the continent include Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, and Poland.
Surprisingly, the United States dropped 7 spots (from #3 on last year’s list to #10 this year). When asked, Swedes replied that there was too much “political uncertainty” in the country and made other plans.
Source: Pixabay.com
The Full List If you’re interested in seeing the entire list, you can check out Vagabond SE’s story at this link – we’ve also printed them below. (“Antalet Resor” refers to the amount of trips made during the year):
Now it’s your turn: Did any of these results surprise you? Where are you going this year?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced in an interview with the LA Times on March 23 that he’s leaving Manchester United for LA Galaxy. “Dear Los Angeles, you’re welcome,” said Ibrahimovic.
Manchester United confirms that Ibrahimovic is leaving the team for LA, “Everyone at the club would like to thank Zlatan for his contribution to the team since his arrival and wishes him well for the future,” said the Premiere club in a statement.
During an phone interview with LA Times from England that the star said, “after being in Europe, winning 33 trophies, playing in the best teams in the world, playing with the best players in the world, I wanted to come to the US and play my game there. I wanted people to enjoy my game there and to win. And I chose the Galaxy to do that.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic hinted in the interview that he might be doing his debut as soon as March 31, against Los Angeles FC. “I am ready to play now. First and foremost am I there to play soccer. I am not there to do anything else. My first goal is to play soccer and doing what I’m good at,” said Ibrahimovic.
Most people that travel to Scandinavia usually opt to visit the big cities of Stockholm, Oslo, or Copenhagen…
But if you stay in just those cities, you’re missing out! The Nordic countries are big and beautiful, and much of our beauty can be seen miles and miles away from the nearest urban city. If you love outdoor activities, fresh air, and you want to go where the Scandinavians vacation, we got some recommendations you might like!
Here are 5 amazing destinations that will show you the pure northern nature. Get inspired for your next Scandinavia trip!
1. Idre, Sweden
Photo credit: Hyridre.se
Idre has an amazing skiing resort in the wintertime and hiking trails in the summertime. You can also experience parts of the Sami culture, which is the Nordic indigenous people who has their own language and are known as reindeer farmers. You can also find this culture in Norway, Finland, and Russia.
To do:
You can visit a Samivillage all year round, and plan your visit here: http://renbiten.se/en/arrangemang-2-3/2110-2/ there are different packages to choose from depending on what you want to experience. You can go on hikes together with domesticated reindeers or enjoy Sami food cooked over open fire while listening to stories about the sami culture.
Idre Fjäll is the skiing resort and you can find all information here: http://www.idrefjall.se/english.html you can rent all your equipment like skis, helmets, ski boots, bicycles etc, and they have accommodations for all preferences.
To eat:
Enjoy a full day of skiing at Idre Fjäll and take a break in one of the restaurants up on the mountains. At Restaurang Utsikten you can rest your legs and enjoy warm food like spaghetti bolognese, goulash soup, hamburger, or maybe just a hot chocolate?
Charlies is the best place for after ski! They also have a great menu with a lot of options for the hungry ones like Schnitzel, Fish & Chips, Gyros etc.
If you visit a Sami village you should try the reindeer meat. Renbiten has their own produced meet and stomp (the national bread in Idre).
How to get here:
The easiest way to get to Idre is to hop on a flight to Stockholm. From there you can either take the train, which can take around seven hours, or you can rent a car and drive there which will take you approximately six hours.
2. Rovaniemi, Finland
Photo credit: Arctic Snowhotel & Glass Igloos in Rovaniemi
A true winter wonderland! Northern Lights, the home of Santa Claus, and snow hotels are what you can experience when you go to Rovaniemi. If you visit Rovaniemi before or during Christmas you should definitely visit Santa Claus Village and SantaPark to get that extra Christmas feeling!
At Arctic Snowhotel Ice Restaurant you can have a really “cool” dinner… because everything in the restaurant is made of snow and ice! Arctic Ocean Salmon or Roast Elk are two examples of what kind of food you can eat here.
The restaurant Arctic Boulevard serves local food from the northern forests and seafood from Lapland’s lakes and the Arctic Ocean. They use seasonal ingredients and the menu differs depending on the season. Currently, you can find King Crab, Willow Grouse and Arctic Char on the menu.
To get here:
Fly to Helsinki and then you can reach Rovaniemi by domestic flight which will take just a little more than one hour. If you want to rent a car, the drive will take you about ten hours — if you want to explore more of Finland that might be an alternative option.
3. Skagen, Denmark
Photo credit: Vadstenabuss.se
Believe it or not, you can have a beach vacation in Scandinavia too! Skagen, a cute town in Denmark, is a perfect get-away from the big city life. North of this bay is where two oceans connect, Skagerrak and Kattegat. You can actually stand with one foot in each ocean, but you are not allowed to swim there. For swimming, there are a lot of beautiful beaches around the area.
To do:
On the Skagerrak coast, the waves are bigger than on the Kattegat coast – If you have kids you might want to stay at the Kattegat side. Find your favorite part of the beach and enjoy!
Skagen is famous for its seafood. A great place to try out the local fish is De 2 Have restaurant, which also comes with an amazing view. After your meal, you can take a relaxing stroll along the beach.
Another great seafood place you should try is Pakhuset which is located at Skagen’s harbor. It has a café and a fine dining restaurant, and during summer they have live music every night. Enjoy skagen, tapas, fish soup, fried plaice, and more delicious fish dishes!
How to get here:
Fly to Gothenburg (Sweden) and take the ferry over to Frederikshavn. The ferry from Sweden to Denmark takes about three hours and departs around 5 times a day. When in Frederikshavn take a local bus or train to Skagen which will only take about 40 minutes!
4. Gotland, Sweden
Gotland is a common vacation spot for Swedish people: we love to spend time on this cozy island during the summer to just relax and enjoy the nature. There are plenty of things to do on this island and the easiest way to go around is to rent a bicycle. Find more information on Gotlands official site.
To do:
There are 92 churches and a lot of the original buildings from the middle age. Just walking around in Visby is an experience, as you will also see the medieval wall surrounding the city.
If you like to party, we highly recommend planning your trip in the middle of July for Stockholmsveckan (Stockholm Week)s. It’s a week when a lot of Swedish people visit Visby to party, meet new friends and hang out.
Another popular time to go there is during the Medeltidsveckan (Medieval Eeek), where you find tournaments, markets, theaters, fire shows and a lot more! There will be around 500 events during week 32, so if you are into history you should plan your trip to this week.
To eat:
If you want to eat delicious fish and seafood you should go to Bakfickan at Stora Torget in Visby. They serve dishes like fish soup, smoked shrimps, and Baltic herring.
Kapitelhusgården is a medieval restaurant also in Visby. This dinner experience will take you back to the 14th century with fire shows, detailed costumes, and beautiful music.
How to get here: Fly to Stockholm and then take a domestic flight to Visby which will take only around 40 minutes.
5. Geiranger, Norway
Photo credit: Visitnorway.se
The Geirangerfjord is included on the UNESCO World Heritage list and is known as one of the most beautiful fjords in the world. If you love hiking this is definitely a place for you! Click here for more info from VisitNorway about Geiranger.
To do:
The incredible mountains and the clear water create an amazing panoramic view, which you can see while hiking in the mountains. There are easier trails for everyone to enjoy as well as harder ones for the more experienced hikers.
The Geiranger waterfall walk has 327 steps along the massive Storfossen waterfall.
After your activities, you can enjoy the local food at Westerås Restaurant. It’s a cozy restaurant with beautiful views of the fjord where you can enjoy the local salmon or how about their crispy waffles?
…Or you can enjoy another local food restaurant called Brasserie Posten which is located right next to the fjord. Enjoy their tasty pizzas while watching the fjord!
To get here:
Fly to Oslo or Bergen and then take a domestic flight to Ålesund Airport. From Ålesund, the easiest way is to rent a car. The drive takes about 2.5 hours. Another option to go from Ålesund to Geiranger is by ferry.
Earlier this month, the Swedish Board of Agriculture released a report showing that Swedes are increasingly saying no to meat.
Just last year, meat consumption was at an all-time low since the 90’s with the average Swede consuming 4.8 pounds less than they did the year before.
In a statement on Jordbruksverkets website, agricultural investigator Åsa Lannhard Öberg says “There are many reasons for the reduced consumption of meat, but the vegan trend, climate debate, health aspects and ethical reasons are some of them,”
The vegan trend that is taking over in Sweden was clear when big corporations like McDonald’s decided that it was high time to launch a vegan burger on their permanent menu.
Although it seems that Swedes are for environmental, health and ethical reasons switching over to a more vegan and vegetarian diet, it looks like Americans are not really latching on to the trend.
According to Fortune.com, Americans are set to eat more meat than ever before. USDA predicts that the average American will eat about 222.2 pounds of red meat and poultry in 2018.
“If you look at the items that consumers say they want more of in their diet, protein tops the list,” said David Portalatin, a Houston-based food industry adviser for NPD Group.
What are your thoughts on the meat consumption being higher in the U.S. and lower in Sweden?
Norwegian and Finnair have been making headways this year in the airline industry.
Skytrax, an airline consulting company, has just released their 2017 list of the World’s Best Airlines. The Awards are based on various airport survey questionnaires that question travelers about their experience with check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security, and more. Over 13 million people filled in these questionnaires and the answers are here.
Are you ready? Drumroll, please! Let’s see how the Nordic airlines did.
Source: www.mynewsdesk.com
Norwegian Airlines came in number 8 Norwegian, a low-cost airline based out of Oslo, has been extremely popular with millennials and those on a backpacker budget. For less than $350 round trip, travelers can fly from San Francisco to Iceland, Norway, or even Sweden. Thanks to their aggressive marketing campaign and rave reviews, Norwegian won Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe and also took home the prize for the World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline.
Source: www.company.finnair.com
Finnair inches ahead to secure 7th spot Finnair, which has been around since the 1920’s, is a consistent favorite with travelers. This reliable airline is ranked 3rd safest in the world, has a top-notch fleet of newer airplane models, and dominate both domestic and international markets. Finnair also took home the prize for Best Airline in Northern Europe by Skytrax – for the 8th time in a row.
In other news, Copenhagen Airport came in 15th place and Helsinki Airport came in 17th place in Skytrax’s list of The World’s Top 100 Airports.
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