Kristiansand car show drives brisk sales

The Sørlandet / Agder news of the past 48 hours has been shaped by the car show held at Sørlandshallen in Kristiansand, where several dealerships recorded sales over the weekend. On the sporting front, Start lost 2-4 at home to HamKam, a setback that moves the club further away from the 2027 Eliteserien. In retail, shops in Kristiansand are noticing a shift in how customers feel about plastic-based clothing.

Cars: Kristiansand auto show finds plenty of buyers

At Sørlandshallen in Kristiansand, the bilmesse (car show) drew buyers ready to close deals on the spot. Toril Runden had been looking for a new car for several years. On Saturday, she signed the paperwork. "We came here, and the car was right there, simply," she tells NRK Sørlandet / Agder. Asked how she feels now, she replies: "Very good."

She is not the only one driving home in a new vehicle. The bell that signals a deal sounded repeatedly while the radio station was there. "We have already sold plenty of cars, so here we feel that customers are in buying mode," says Fredrik Løkke, head of sales at Toyota Sør (NRK Sørlandet / Agder). The dealership was the only one using the classic bell during the show. "I have colleagues who find it terribly embarrassing. But we should be able to show a bit of joy when we make a sale," he adds.

Football: Start falls 2-4 to HamKam

In Kristiansand, Start lost 2-4 to HamKam in a match many considered decisive for keeping alive hopes of a return to the Eliteserien in 2027. "Terribly heavy, a disappointing performance. We want to take more control of the match, and when we concede the first goal on top of that, it is painful," Eirik Schulze tells NRK Sørlandet / Agder. "We are not delivering as well as we are capable of. That is what disappoints me most. And conceding four goals at home is far too poor," adds the player from Mandal.

Goalkeeper Magnus Sjøeng points to the same flaw: "I think those are four far too easy goals. We have to look at how to stop the counter-attacks. We were torn apart on the counter." For HamKam, the victory in Kristiansand is their first league win since the 3-0 against Vålerenga on the last day of July. The club had played seven matches since then, NRK Sørlandet / Agder recalls.

Clothing: Customers pay closer attention to materials

In shops in Kristiansand, several managers are noticing that buyers read labels more carefully. "Customers are not being fooled. They do their research and get to the bottom of things, and I think they are right to do so," says Sylli Haxhaj, manager of the Retro shop in Kristiansand (NRK Sørlandet / Agder).

According to Sifo, Norwegian men own around 250 items of clothing, compared with nearly 500 for women. But the composition of garments keeps coming up. "People didn't used to be as busy reading labels as they are today. That shift has happened in less than ten years," explains Knut Pereira, manager of the Henriks Herre shop in Kristiansand. "People directly ask for 100% natural products made in Europe," he adds. Norwegians nevertheless purchase large amounts of plastic-based clothing, according to figures from Svanemerket cited by NRK Sørlandet / Agder.

📌 Local briefs

According to Fædrelandsvennen (11 October), a tiger from Kristiansand killed a man; the paper describes "terrible images." The same regional daily reports the end of an activity after more than sixty years, without further detail in its headline, as well as several reactions from people saying they felt "shaken" following an event of the day.

Nationally, more than 700 trains are cancelled in Norway over the coming days because of an ongoing strike (The Local Norway).

Sources: NRK Sørlandet / Agder, Fædrelandsvennen, The Local Norway — Period: 11 October 2026 and 12 October 2026