Short answer: find Swedish wholesalers through manufacturers, trade associations and company registers, then verify each one at Bolagsverket and in the EU VIES database before you pay. EU businesses with a valid VAT number buy without Swedish VAT under the reverse charge. Payment on 30-day invoice terms is common once a supplier has credit-checked you.
How is the Swedish wholesale market structured?
Swedish wholesale turned over SEK 2,184 billion in 2022, almost double the level of 2000, according to the Swedish Trade Federation's Handelsfakta. About 40 percent of everyone employed in Swedish trade works in wholesale.
The market has two layers. More than 60 percent of wholesale companies are one-person businesses without employees, often specialised in a narrow product niche. At the other end, the 70 largest wholesalers account for roughly 30 percent of turnover and run national logistics networks. Growth has been driven mainly by food, beverages and tobacco, household goods, and machinery and equipment.
Large wholesalers offer standard terms, broad ranges and English-speaking sales teams. Small specialists offer flexibility on order size and access to products the large players do not stock, but they need more careful verification.
Which wholesalers lead each sector in Sweden?
The largest Swedish wholesalers operate in foodservice, grocery, plumbing and electrical supplies, and IT distribution. The table lists established players per sector as a starting point for your own shortlist.
| Sector | Established wholesalers | Main customers |
|---|---|---|
| Foodservice (restaurants, institutional kitchens) | Martin & Servera, Menigo, Svensk Cater, Chefs Culinar, Nordward, Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk, Mårdskog & Lindkvist | Restaurants, cafés, school and hospital kitchens |
| Cash & carry (food) | Axfood Snabbgross | Restaurants, kiosks, small shops |
| Grocery distribution | Dagab (Axfood), plus ICA's and Coop's in-house central warehouses | Grocery stores within each group |
| Plumbing and HVAC | Ahlsell, Dahl, Onninen | Installers, construction firms, property owners |
| Electrical | Solar, Rexel, Elektroskandia, Ahlsell | Electricians, industry |
| IT and electronics | Ingram Micro, TD SYNNEX | Resellers, IT service providers, online retailers |
A starting point, not a ranking or endorsement. The foodservice list matches the members of Livsmedelsgrossisterna, whose eight members account for over 50 percent of food sales to Swedish restaurants and institutional kitchens.
How do you verify a Swedish company?
Every Swedish company has a 10-digit organisation number (organisationsnummer, format NNNNNN-NNNN) registered with Bolagsverket, the Swedish Companies Registration Office. Its VAT number is SE + the organisation number + 01, 12 digits in total, and can be validated in the EU's VIES service.
Run these checks before the first payment:
- Look up the organisation number at Bolagsverket and confirm company name, registered office, registration date and authorised signatories.
- Validate the VAT number in VIES. A valid number is required to buy under the EU reverse charge.
- Check that the company holds F-tax approval (F-skatt) and VAT registration in the Swedish Tax Agency's search service.
- Order a credit report from a Swedish credit agency such as UC or Creditsafe and read the last two annual reports.
- Confirm that the bank account (Bankgiro or IBAN) is held in the company's own name.
- Place a small trial order before committing to volume.
Warning signs: demands for prepayment to a private account or in cryptocurrency, prices far below market, a website with no organisation number, or bank details that change by email. Invoice fraud through changed payment details is a known scheme – always confirm by phone using a number you looked up yourself.
How does VAT work when buying from Sweden?
EU businesses with a valid VAT number buy Swedish goods without Swedish VAT: the wholesaler invoices at 0 percent and you account for VAT in your own country under the reverse charge. Exports outside the EU are zero-rated in Sweden, and the buyer pays import duties and taxes at destination.
| Buyer | Swedish VAT on invoice | What the buyer does |
|---|---|---|
| EU business with valid VAT number | 0 % | Self-assesses VAT at home (reverse charge); goods must leave Sweden |
| Business outside the EU | 0 % | Needs export documentation; pays duties and import VAT at destination |
| Business without valid VAT number | 25 % (standard) | Treated like a domestic sale; Swedish VAT applies |
Inside Sweden, the standard rate is 25 percent, with reduced rates of 12 percent (for example restaurant services) and 6 percent (for example books). From 1 April 2026 to 31 December 2027, VAT on food is temporarily cut from 12 to 6 percent, according to the Swedish Tax Agency.
What payment and delivery terms are normal?
Swedish wholesalers typically invoice on 30-day net terms once a buyer has passed a credit check; new foreign buyers are often asked to prepay the first orders. International deliveries are agreed using Incoterms 2020 from the International Chamber of Commerce.
Unless a contract says otherwise, Swedish law sets late-payment interest at the Riksbank reference rate plus 8 percentage points, and a creditor may charge SEK 450 in fixed compensation for late payment. Consumer cooling-off rights do not apply between businesses; the Swedish Sale of Goods Act (köplagen) applies, and defects must be notified within a reasonable time after they were, or should have been, discovered.
The Incoterms rule decides who pays freight and when risk passes to you:
- EXW (Ex Works): you collect at the wholesaler's warehouse and handle all transport and export formalities.
- FCA (Free Carrier): the wholesaler clears the goods for export and hands them to your carrier.
- DAP (Delivered at Place): the wholesaler delivers to your named address; you pay import costs.
- DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): the wholesaler delivers and pays import duties and taxes, which few Swedish wholesalers offer.
Prices are usually quoted in Swedish kronor (SEK). Larger wholesalers may quote in EUR on request, which moves the currency risk to them.
What else should foreign buyers know?
English is widely used in Swedish business, invoices follow EU invoicing rules, and electronic invoicing via the Peppol network is mandatory for suppliers to the Swedish public sector since 1 April 2019.
Most wholesalers require a customer account before quoting, so prepare your company registration, VAT number and a description of your business. Many sell only to specific trades – foodservice wholesalers, for example, serve restaurants and kitchens rather than retailers. Regulated goods such as alcohol, tobacco and medicines require permits in Sweden and usually in the destination country, and are not freely available for export through general wholesalers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check that a Swedish supplier is a real company?
Look up its 10-digit organisation number at Bolagsverket, the Swedish Companies Registration Office, and validate its VAT number (SE + organisation number + 01) in the EU's VIES service.
Do I pay Swedish VAT when buying from a Swedish wholesaler?
Not if you are a VAT-registered business in another EU country with a valid VAT number: the supply is zero-rated and you account for VAT at home under the reverse charge. Buyers outside the EU pay no Swedish VAT on exported goods but pay import duties and taxes in their own country.
What is the standard VAT rate in Sweden?
25 percent. Reduced rates are 12 percent (for example restaurant services) and 6 percent (for example books and, from 1 April 2026 to 31 December 2027, food).