Most reputable and least reputable Nordic companies studied – Temu and Shein at the bottom
Temu and Shein are among the least reputable companies across all Nordic countries, reveals the Reputation&Trust study conducted in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. IKEA is a perennial favorite among Nordic consumers.
The list of companies with good reputation is united by world’s largest furniture retailer IKEA, which appears on the list of reputable companies in all countries except Finland – although the company last appeared on Finland’s most reputable companies list in 2023.
The 10 most reputable companies in the Nordic Reputation&Trust study by country. The most reputable companies in each country have been determined locally. The companies studied received a reputation score calculated as an average of eight critical reputation areas, on a scale of 1-5. Denmark’s most reputable list includes 11 companies because 10th place is shared.
“At the top of the reputation rankings, we find traditional companies, kind of national treasures, such as IKEA in Sweden, LEGO in Denmark and KONE in Finland. Nordic alcohol monopolies Systembolaget, Vinmonopolet, and Alko also enjoy citizens’ trust according to our study,” says Reputation and Trust Analytics’ Development Director Riku Ruokolahti.
Temu and Shein at the bottom in all Nordic countries
E-commerce platforms Shein and Temu are at the bottom of the list of companies operating in the Nordic countries. Both Chinese-owned companies were rated very poorly in terms of reputation.
The 10 companies with the poorest reputation in the Nordic Reputation&Trust study by country. Companies with the poorest reputation in each country have been determined locally in each country. The companies studied receive a reputation score calculated as an average of eight critical reputation areas. Denmark’s list of companies with poor reputation includes 11 companies because 20th place is shared.
“Temu and Shein are also found at the bottom of the list in Germany’s Reputation&Trust study. The number of e-commerce deliveries from outside the EU has grown wildly in a short time. Temu has rushed into the Nordic markets and is a new entrant on the list of all countries studied. There are no guarantees about the ethics, responsibility, safety, and quality of products available from ultra-cheap online stores. Local retailers operating according to local rules are understandably puzzled by the situation,” says Ruokolahti.
The import of cheap e-commerce products to the EU area has accelerated dramatically in recent years, and in 2024, packages arrived in the EU area at an average rate of 12 million per day. The EU Commission is acting and tightening customs controls on cheap deliveries from outside the EU.
How we conducted the research
The aim of the Reputation&Trust researches was to investigate the reputation of companies operating in the Nordic countries among the residents of these countries. The data collection for the studies was carried out through an electronic questionnaire from July 1 to August 5, 2024, in Sweden, and July 1-29, 2024, in Norway and Denmark and June 3 to July 8, 2024, in Finland.
Organizations were evaluated using Reputation and Trust Analytics’ Reputation&Trust research model, where the organization’s reputation score is formed as an average of eight different dimensions. These areas are corporate governance, financial performance, leadership, innovation, dialogue, products & services, workplace, and responsibility. The study used a five-point evaluation scale (1-5).
The study included 4,612 Swedes, 3,657 Norwegians, 10,575 Finns, and 3,788 Danes. The target group was citizens aged 15-65 years. The samples were weighted to represent the population according to gender, age, and region.
The published companies with the best and poorest reputations were selected for the group of companies to be studied based on a preliminary study conducted earlier in 2024. In the preliminary study, respondents from each country spontaneously named two companies they considered to have particularly good reputations and two with particularly poor reputations. Reputation and Trust Analytics does not guide the selection of companies.
The thirty companies that received the most mentions were studied in more detail using the Reputation&Trust model in each country. The lists include the ten companies that received the highest scores and the ten that received the lowest scores.
For more information
Riku Ruokolahti
Development Director, Reputation and Trust Analytics
riku.ruokolahti@t-media.fi
+358 400 512 200
Harri Leinikka
CEO, Reputation and Trust Analytics
harri.leinikka@t-media.fi
+358 40 505 5001