Great shopping

– lots of choice and a high level of service
The Municipality of Hjørring has a wealth of different shops. We have just about everything – which is why we are able to offer shopping at all the well-known chains while you will also find unique and atmospheric specialist shops in several of the towns in the municipality.
With the largest commercial town at its centre, shopping in the municipality is ideally distributed. In addition, the locations of the various towns constitute a pattern which we sometimes refer to in other contexts as the ‘star city’. Shopping is excellently distributed throughout the municipality, with the largest town at the centre.

Hjørring
In Hjørring there are more than 160 specialist shops side by side with many large well-stocked supermarkets and discount stores. The town is characterised by its long history as a trading and shopping centre – its history is described in detail in the chapter portraying the towns and villages in the municipality. Many people agree that Hjørring is an excellent shopping town.
The trade association and the shopkeepers make a great effort to ensure that shopping in Hjørring is a rewarding experience for people of all ages.

The pedestrian street in particular offers children a chance to have fun. Here, Krumme’s Train runs every Saturday morning and on other special occasions – and it is free to hop aboard for a charming ride through the streets and enjoy the jelly babies on offer. Krumme is dressed in a handsome uniform, and for many children the weekend is not complete until they have had a chat and a train ride with their friend Krumme. Krumme’s name (meaning 'crumb' in Danish) stems from his previous career as a baker! Of course, it all makes perfect sense...
Hjørring has a number of traditional events, e.g. ‘culture night’ in the town centre at the end of May or the beginning of June when the town’s shops are buzzing, and its cultural

institutions offer a wide array of entertainment. Dancers perform in the streets, several stages around town provide concert venues, cafés are set up, and hungry shoppers are attracted by the smell of perfectly fried sausages. In the weeks before Christmas the town centre is beautifully decorated with lights along its wonderful avenue, its green leaves also providing a beautiful framework for the shopping streets in summer. Father Christmas visits Hjørring every year. He lights the big Christmas tree at Springvandspladsen, and the people below are showered with toffees from the high crane above. In August Hjørring hosts a large crafts market. As a novelty the market is now combined with a celebration of regional foods. This offers you an opportunity to hear the story behind the design of some of the more than 30 craftspeople and at the same time indulge your taste buds with good food and drink. The market is held in P. Nørkjærs Plads. This square could be described almost as a huge work of art bordered by various cosy shops. The beautiful work of art was created by Bjørn Nørgaard, who is famous, among other things, for his tapestries for Queen Margrethe at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen.

In addition to these arrangements there are various other events throughout the year – such as classic car shows, fashion shows, bicycle races or the large Constitution Day race, which attracts many people and much attention to Hjørring. Due to its large surrounding area, the many tourists and its approx. 25,000 citizens, Hjørring has a thriving and varied commercial life. It has seen rapid growth in recent years – 40 new shops will be ready at Easter 2008, when Metropol – Hjørring Citycenter opens. This will undoubtedly further cement Hjørring’s position as the number one shopping town in Vendsyssel. Slightly to the east of the town centre a local brewery will be opened, which – along with a new restaurant and café – is being built in Markedsgade. However, growth is not confined to Hjørring’s town cen tre. Along the main approach road, Frederikshavnsvej, large new shops are currently springing up... DIY stores, furniture stores and car dealers are among the types of outlets you will find there.

Hirtshals
There is also a lot happening in Hirtshals at the moment. It is the municipality’s second-largest shopping town, and its port naturally brings in many tourists who arrive by ship. Norwegian tourists in particular arrive at Hirtshals in their thousands to shop. In Hirtshals they enjoy a wide range of shops and quickly find the things which they need and which they want to take back to Norway.

Hjørring Town Council has earmarked 9.9 million Danish kroner for renovation and transformation of Hirtshals town centre. The objective is to create a more attractive town centre both for shoppers and for the local residents. For tourists this means that the town centre will become even more inviting. Indeed, how many places have a pedestrian street with a wonderful sea view? Hirtshals does, and now it will become even more beautiful!

The northern section of Nørregade from Lauras Plads to Den Grønne Plads will be turned into a permanent pedestrian street, while the southern section will be turned into a pedestrian street for three months during the summer period and a one-way pedestrian/bicyclist-friendly street with parking facilities during the rest of the year.

Apart from its wide choice of shops Hirtshals also hosts many regular events throughout the year, of which Hirtshals Fish Festival is probably the largest.

In the first week of August you can taste a large variety of exciting fish dishes from many different countries. Fish stalls are set up in Jørgen Fibigersgade and in “Den Grønne Plads”.

All day long the area teems with various activities. Hirtshals’s restaurants compete fiercely in the ‘Fish Course of the Year’ contest, which takes place in the large tent “The Ship” in Den Grønne Plads. The fish festival concludes with a gigantic fireworks display. However, it is not only one weekend a year that you are able to taste freshly caught fish. Hirtshals boasts many good restaurants – and naturally with fish on the menu as well as other tasty dishes.

Hirtshals town centre is the venue for the Skagerrak Sculpture Festival, where local and international artists exhibit modern art in the open urban space. The festival takes place from the end of June until the end of September, and you will find the works of art exhibited in connection with local shops, banks and other businesses in the town centre and around the harbour area. 

The Skagerrak Sculpture Festival is Denmark’s largest collaboration/network between small businesses and artists. It was established in 2005 – when Hirtshals was designated as a municipality of culture – on the initiative of Gregory Miller and Stinne Teglhus in cooperation with Hirtshals Trade Association.

Sindal
Sindal has the mildest climate in Vendsyssel, and the town is known for its many beautiful water fountains. However, Sindal’s annual market also places the town on the map. More than 100,000 people visit the market, which is held every year during the Danish Ascension Day holiday. At the market horses change hands, and many visitors find interesting items that require a bit of haggling before agreeing on the price. However, it is not only during the annual market that traders enjoy a brisk business in Sindal. Sindal is a varied shopping town with supermarkets, discount stores and many exciting specialist shops.

Vrå
In Vrå, the southernmost of the main towns in the municipality, there is the variety of retailers required to attract customers from the surrounding area and ensure that the inhabitants of Vrå are self-sufficient in their daily lives. However Vrå is faced with a special challenge: the town is divided by the railway that turned Vrå into a station town in 1871. In the years ahead, the Municipality of Hjørring will therefore work to bring together the central activities in the town – including the retailers to the east of the railway – in order to create a more coherent town centre in Vrå.

Lønstrup, Løkken, Tversted, Bindslev and Tårs
There are also interesting shops to be found outside the large towns. Lønstrup’s special atmosphere makes it a unique place to visit. Many craftspeople have set up workshops here, and you will find beautiful shops in conjunction with many glass, ceramics and jewellery workshops. Lønstrup also has several galleries and exciting clothes and shoe shops. Should you feel hungry or tired, Lønstrup has many small and cosy eateries. In the cinema Cafébiografen you can enjoy a refreshing drink as well as a good film.

Løkken has almost a market town atmosphere almost throughout the summer. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, bars, discos and ice cream parlours. The atmosphere in the square is always worth savouring. Like Hirtshals, Lønstrup and Tversted, Løkken is situated by the sea and therefore naturally attracts large numbers of tourists. After some turbulent years where the focus was on nightlife for young people, Løkken is increasingly becoming a place where the shops also appeal to families and more mature visitors. For example, the sweets factory and the local microbrewery are very popular. Here you can buy the products and at the same time watch how they are made.

One of the main events on the trade calendar is undoubtedly the large annual antique fair – one of Denmark’s oldest – where 30 participating antique dealers from all over the country are represented under the heading Tradition & Quality. The fair is usually held in Løkken’s sports centre, Løkkenhallen, at the beginning of August. Already in July you could find a bargain at Løkken Horse Fair and Bazaar. In addition to the bazaar there is a funfair as well as music and entertainment in the large marquee. Løkken Horse Fair and Bazaar is held every year in July at Vrenstedvej between the golf course and the riding centre.

Tversted, located in Tannisbugt between Hirtshals to the west and Skagen to the northeast, is a town of culture. There is considerable focus on the music scene, and many people have probably already heard of Tversted as a jazz venue. However, there is more to Tversted than jazz – it is just as famous for its cafés, restaurants, craftspeople and ice cream stands. Tversted is a flourishing town – an increasing number of people wish to live there permanently, while tourists return year after year. The shops in Tversted are therefore also thriving...

Bindslev is situated between Tversted and Sindal, and despite its size – only 1,100 

inhabitants – its shops are comparable to those found in a larger market town. Bindslev has many small shops which enjoy the loyal custom of local residents.
In Tårs the situation is almost the same as in Bindslev. Surrounded by all sides by land – unlike the seaside towns –  Tårs is endowed with a reasonably large customer base. Therefore Tårs also has supermarkets and specialist shops. In Tårs the loyalty of local residents is also important for the survival of the shops.