Pressbyrån

Pressbyrån, whose name means roughly “The Press Bureau,” is a Swedish convenience-store brand established in 1899. It began by selling newspapers at railway stations and developed around the needs of commuters, travelers, and other customers seeking fast access to news, refreshments, and everyday impulse purchases. The chain’s location strategy remains closely associated with transport infrastructure: many stores are positioned beside metro stations, commuter-rail stations, bus terminals, and other high-footfall transit points. The brand’s assortment has expanded substantially beyond its original newspaper business. Pressbyrån stores commonly sell magazines and newspapers, chilled beverages, snacks, confectionery, ice cream, hot dogs, tobacco and snus products, and low-strength alcoholic drinks permitted under Swedish law. They also provide selected service products, including public-transport tickets, prepaid SIM cards, mobile top-ups, and postage stamps. Stronger alcoholic beverages are excluded from the normal convenience-store assortment because Swedish law reserves their retail sale for the state-owned Systembolaget monopoly. Pressbyrån was historically connected with the Bonnier Group. In 1917, the business established Alga, a subsidiary producing postcards and stationery. The Alga name was formed from the initials of Anna Lundquist and Anna Gadh, the wives of two directors. Alga later became known especially for board games, was separated as an independent company by Pressbyrån’s owner in 1940, and was acquired by BRIO in 1983. This episode illustrates how Pressbyrån once participated in a broader publishing and consumer-goods structure rather than operating solely as a retail chain. The modern chain has grown to approximately 300 stores, operated through a franchise model. Pressbyrån is now part of Reitan Group’s convenience-retail activities. The same group also controls the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian franchise rights for 7-Eleven, historically a direct competitor. Pressbyrån therefore operates within a portfolio that contains two recognizable convenience brands, while competing in Sweden with chains and networks such as Circle K, Direkten, and MyWay. Competition has increased as consumers have gained more alternatives for snacks, beverages, tobacco products, transit services, and other quick purchases. The brand has also tested new retail formats. In July 2020, it opened Pressbyrån Go, an automated convenience-store concept, in a section of an existing staffed store in Stockholm’s Kungsholmen district. A standalone Pressbyrån Go location opened outside Westfield Mall of Scandinavia in January 2021. These stores represented an effort to apply automated retail to the brand’s convenience proposition and to serve customers who value speed and reduced friction. In May 2024, Reitan Group announced an intention to discontinue cigarette sales in its Swedish stores, including Pressbyrån, by 2026. The proposed change affects a historically important convenience category and signals an adjustment in response to changing tobacco consumption patterns, regulation, and corporate positioning. Pressbyrån consequently remains an active Swedish convenience brand, combining a heritage in press distribution with food-to-go, refreshments, tobacco alternatives, transport-related services, and experimentation with automated stores.

Pressbyrån was founded in Sweden in 1899 and initially operated as a newspaper seller at railway stations. Its early business was closely tied to the growth of rail travel and the demand for readily available newspapers at transit points. This origin established two enduring characteristics of the brand: a connection with the press and a focus on high-traffic locations where customers make quick purchases. In 1917, Pressbyrån created a subsidiary called Alga to manufacture postcards and stationery. The name Alga was derived from the initials of Anna Lundquist and Anna Gadh, the wives of two directors. Although Alga began with paper goods, it later became known as a significant Swedish publisher of board games. In 1940, Pressbyrån’s owner, the Bonnier Group, separated Alga as an independent company. BRIO acquired Alga in 1983. The history of Alga reflects Pressbyrån’s earlier relationship with publishing and related consumer products, while also marking the eventual separation of that activity from the convenience-store chain. Over time, Pressbyrån expanded beyond newspapers and magazines into a broader convenience proposition. Its stores came to offer chilled drinks, snacks, candy, ice cream, hot dogs, tobacco and snus, and low-strength alcoholic beverages. The chain also added services such as public-transport tickets, prepaid SIM cards, mobile top-ups, and postage stamps. Because Swedish law restricts the sale of stronger alcoholic drinks to Systembolaget, Pressbyrån’s alcohol assortment is limited to beverages within the applicable low-strength threshold. The chain grew to approximately 300 stores, with all locations operated through franchising. Its stores are frequently situated near metro stations, commuter rail stations, bus terminals, and other transportation nodes. This network model preserves the historical association between Pressbyrån and travel while allowing the brand to serve modern commuter needs, including immediate consumption, mobile connectivity, transit access, and small everyday purchases. Pressbyrån later became part of Reitan Group’s convenience-retail portfolio. Reitan also holds the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian franchise rights for 7-Eleven, a historical direct competitor to Pressbyrån. The two brands therefore coexist within the same broader ownership group while competing in the convenience market with other operators, including Circle K, Direkten, and MyWay. The competitive environment has become more crowded as petrol stations, independent convenience networks, and franchised stores have expanded their food, beverage, tobacco, and service offerings. The brand began experimenting with automated retail in 2020. On 11 July of that year, it opened its first Pressbyrån Go automated convenience store in a small section of an existing staffed store in Kungsholmen, Stockholm. On 19 January 2021, the first fully standalone Pressbyrån Go store opened outside Westfield Mall of Scandinavia. The format represented an attempt to make the convenience proposition faster and more technology-enabled, while testing whether customers would adopt a largely unattended shopping environment. In May 2024, Reitan Group announced that it intended to stop selling cigarettes in its Swedish stores, including Pressbyrån, by 2026. The planned withdrawal would change the chain’s traditional tobacco offering and distinguish future assortment strategy from its historic convenience model. Pressbyrån remains active in Sweden, retaining its press-related identity while operating primarily as a franchised, transport-oriented convenience retailer.

• 2024

  Planned cigarette withdrawal is announced

  [1]Pressbyrånen.wikipedia.org

  Reitan Group announces an intention to stop cigarette sales in Swedish stores, including Pressbyrån, by 2026.

• 2021

  Standalone automated store opens

  [1]Pressbyrånen.wikipedia.org

  The first standalone Pressbyrån Go store opens near Westfield Mall of Scandinavia.

• 2020

  Pressbyrån Go launches in Stockholm

  [1]Pressbyrånen.wikipedia.org

  The brand opens its first automated convenience-store test in an existing Kungsholmen store.

• 1983

  BRIO acquires Alga

  [1]Pressbyrånen.wikipedia.org

  BRIO acquires the former Pressbyrån subsidiary, by then known particularly for board games.

• 1940

  Alga is spun off

  [1]Pressbyrånen.wikipedia.org

  Bonnier Group separates Alga from Pressbyrån as an independent company.

• 1917

  Alga subsidiary is established

  [1]Pressbyrånen.wikipedia.org

  Pressbyrån starts Alga to manufacture postcards and stationery.

• 1899

  Pressbyrån is founded

  [1]Pressbyrånen.wikipedia.org

  The business begins selling newspapers at railway stations in Sweden.

A Swedish, transport-oriented convenience retailer combining press heritage with quick food, beverages, impulse goods, tobacco alternatives, and everyday service products.

• Press retail · 1899

  Newspapers and magazines

  Newspapers and magazines are the historical foundation of Pressbyrån’s business. The chain began by selling newspapers at railway stations in 1899, and press products continue to express the brand’s name and heritage even as the assortment has broadened into general convenience retail.

• Convenience food

  Food, snacks, and beverages

  Pressbyrån stores sell quick-consumption products for commuters and travelers, including chilled drinks, potato chips, candy, ice cream, hot dogs, and related convenience foods. The assortment is designed around immediate consumption and impulse purchases in transport-oriented locations.

• Tobacco retail

  Tobacco and snus

  Tobacco and snus have been part of the chain’s convenience assortment. In 2024, Reitan Group announced an intention to discontinue cigarette sales in Swedish stores, including Pressbyrån, by 2026; the future scope of the wider tobacco and nicotine assortment is not specified in the supplied material.

• Automated convenience retail · 2020

  Pressbyrån Go

  Pressbyrån Go is the brand’s automated-store format. It was first tested inside a staffed Kungsholmen store in 2020, followed by a standalone location near Westfield Mall of Scandinavia in 2021. The format is intended to provide rapid, low-friction convenience shopping with limited or no conventional staffing.

• 2024

  Planned discontinuation of cigarette salesStrategy

  Background

  Reitan Group announced a change to the tobacco assortment of its Swedish convenience businesses, including Pressbyrån.

  Action taken

  The group stated that it intended to stop selling cigarettes in Swedish stores, including Pressbyrån, by 2026.

  Aftermath

  The planned withdrawal would remove a longstanding convenience category from Pressbyrån’s Swedish stores; the supplied material does not specify further implementation details.

  Source

• 2020

  Launch of Pressbyrån Go automated retailProduct launch

  Background

  Pressbyrån sought to test a more automated form of convenience shopping in a market increasingly shaped by speed, self-service, and changing customer expectations.

  Action taken

  The company opened an automated Pressbyrån Go section inside an existing staffed store in Kungsholmen, Stockholm.

  Aftermath

  A standalone Pressbyrån Go store followed near Westfield Mall of Scandinavia in January 2021, extending the format beyond the initial in-store test.

  Source

1. 1Pressbyrånen.wikipedia.org