Coop is moving 850 employees from Haugenstua to Grønland, while Tine is moving from Kalbakken to Grensen, according to official statements. Stian Asphaug, Director of Technology and People at Coop Norge, told NRK Stor-Oslo that many employees depend on tram, subway, and bus, making Groruddalen challenging. Rolf Øyvind Thune, Chair of Tine, told NRK Stor-Oslo that the current location weakens recruitment opportunities, especially for market and support functions. Tine's board decided to move only seven years after consolidating at Kalbakken in 2019.
Omar Samy Gamal, SV group leader in Oslo city council, told NRK Stor-Oslo that the warning lights must flash for the city council, as skilled jobs disappear from Groruddalen. Labor Party MP Kamzy Gunaratnam urged the government to speed up moving state jobs to outer city areas with living condition challenges, according to NRK Stor-Oslo. SV proposed 100 million kroner in its alternative Oslo budget for cross-Groruddalen public transport, Gamal said.
Now the warning lights must flash for the city council.
According to Akershus Eiendom, moving into the city center is part of a broader trend. Oslo's business commissioner Mehmet Kaan Inan (H) said the most important thing is that companies remain in the city. Inan noted that the city government is doing a lot to facilitate local business in outer areas, including the largest upgrade of the T-bane ever. The timeline for the relocations and the exact number of jobs lost from Groruddalen remain unclear.
I am impatient on behalf of Groruddalen and Søndre Nordstrand.
People want to work for us, but many are dependent on tram, subway and bus. Then Groruddalen becomes a bit challenging.
We see that the current location weakens the opportunities to recruit the competence we need, especially within market, staff and support functions.
We need a business policy strategy for Groruddalen, and we need better public transport connections across the valley.
That is precisely the challenge in Oslo. Everyone has to travel into the city center and then out again. Therefore, we need more cross-Groruddalen public transport lines, across districts. More bus lines and more frequent departures.