The chain, owned by Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, has currently established over 150 stores throughout Sweden. Financially, the company is performing strongly and reports an annual turnover of 3 billion Swedish krona.
At the same time, 18 employees, both current and former, present a different version of how the business operates in practice. Together, their accounts point to a number of irregularities in the daily operations of the stores.
A central part of the criticism concerns the company's employment policy. According to sources inside, operations rely heavily on using interns and underage personnel. The incentive is said to be strictly economic, with the aim of suppressing labor costs.
The consequence is that employees have their working hours reduced as soon as they reach the age of majority and thus have the right to a higher wage according to the agreement.
"When I turned 18, my shifts were halved because it became more expensive for them," a former employee told the newspaper.
Surveillance and Free Labor
The work environment is described by staff as very tough. Several employees are said to have been forced to stay after their scheduled shifts without receiving any financial compensation. This includes tasks assigned that cannot be completed during regular working hours, in which case they are expected to complete them unpaid.
In addition, sources testify to widespread suspicion from management, where store managers are accused of actively using security cameras to spy on staff during their shifts.
Staff also state that they are left alone to handle both shoplifters and aggressive customers in the store.
In addition to personnel issues, criticism is also directed at how goods are handled. Opened and damaged beauty products are said to have been wiped clean, taped back together, and then placed back on the shelves for sale.
CEO Strikes Back
Normal's CEO for the Swedish market, Jan Nyberg, has chosen not to participate in a recorded interview regarding the allegations. Instead, the company has sent written statements denying the dark picture.
According to the company, the security cameras are only for preventing crime and must not be used under any circumstances to monitor employees. The company also denies that it has systematically avoided paying overtime and states that if broken goods were sold, it is a direct violation of internal procedures.
Furthermore, the company claims that the choice to hire young people is about taking social responsibility and giving young people a first chance in the labor market. Regarding the handling of shoplifters, he emphasizes that safety always comes first and that staff should never intervene themselves, but always alarm the police or security guards.
The company now announces that it will review its internal information flows and follow up on any cases where the rules have not been followed.