The provincial towns have seen a rise in retail closures—but more stores are opening than shutting down.

In recent years, you’ve likely noticed it: many high streets now feature empty shop windows and more "for rent" signs.

Once bustling with activity, city centers today can feel like a lonely adventure for Palle, wandering through provincial shopping streets. The number of physical stores in Denmark has indeed declined over the past 15 years.

Only the municipalities of Hvidovre, Stevns, Ikast-Brande, Albertslund, and Lejre saw an increase in the number of shops between 2012 and 2022. Elsewhere, the trend has been the opposite—so severe that Denmark lost nearly 20% of its physical stores in that period.

In Næstved Municipality, the decline was even sharper, with almost 22% of shops closing.

But the tide has turned. Since 2023, 76 new shops have opened in Næstved town, while only 30 had to shut their doors.

There’s a clear reason for this, says Nicolaj Lund Jensen, city manager of Næstved City Association.

- The city center isn’t just about shopping anymore. It’s also about experiences. In Næstved, we see more local entrepreneurs and business owners using physical stores for something the internet can’t provide: presence, atmosphere, and relationships, he explains.

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**A city center alive with cocktails**

One of the newer spots in Næstved’s city center is Høgh’s Cocktailbar, which opened in 2025. Founder and owner Morten Høgh Larsen saw an opportunity in the town, he says.

- I believe Næstved is ready for a cocktail bar. I think that’s true for many provincial towns as well. We identified a gap in the market and wanted to fill it.

But simply opening a cocktail bar wasn’t enough, he adds.

- Instead of just waiting passively by the window, hoping someone will come in and buy something, we’re trying to create exciting initiatives. For example, we host live music nights and quiz evenings. We’re doing things to draw people in.

Founder and owner of Høgh’s Cocktailbar, Morten Høgh Larsen, prepares a cocktail.

Is the cocktail bar now in direct competition with the other shops in Næstved?

Not quite, Nicolaj Lund Jensen argues. He points out that experience-based venues attract customers who also shop elsewhere.

- The picture has shifted since the 90s, when people went to the city center to shop. In the 20s, they go to experience something, and shopping becomes secondary.

That’s how Morten Høgh Larsen sees it too.

- It’s about making the whole pie bigger, rather than fighting over the slices. I think that’s a great idea.

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