Can I sue a supplier for late deliveries and lost sales under our B2B contract?

In Sweden
Last Updated: Jan 9, 2026
I run a small retail business in Sweden and our supplier has repeatedly delivered weeks late despite written delivery dates. We’ve lost confirmed customer orders and had to refund payments. What evidence do I need and what compensation can I realistically claim?

Lawyer Answers

Ascendance International Consulting (A-I-C)

Ascendance International Consulting (A-I-C)

Jan 10, 2026
In Sweden a supplier who repeatedly misses the agreed-upon delivery dates is in breach of the sales contract, and you may recover the losses that the delay caused you as long as you can prove them. The core pieces of evidence you'll need are (1) the written contract or purchase order that sets the delivery deadline, (2) any amendment or email confirming those dates, (3) a chronological log of the actual delivery dates (shipping notes, receipts, warehouse entries), (4) the invoices and payment confirmations for the goods you never received on time, (5) the customer orders that you had to cancel or refund (including the customers' written complaints or cancellation confirmations), and (6) the accounting records that show the amount you refunded plus any extra costs you incurred (e.g., expedited shipping from another supplier, overtime wages, or storage fees). With that documentation you can claim (a) direct damages – the amount you paid the supplier for the undelivered or late goods, (b) consequential damages – the refunds you issued to your own customers and any proven loss of profit on those sales, and (c) interest on the unpaid amount calculated under the Swedish Interest Act (räntelagen) from the day the payment was due until it is paid. Swedish law does not normally award punitive damages, so the realistic recovery is limited to the actual economic loss you can demonstrate. Because commercial contracts are subject to a ten-year limitation period (the general limitation for contractual claims), you should send a formal demand letter to the supplier now, setting a reasonable deadline (e.g., 14 days) for payment of the claimed amount plus interest; if the supplier does not respond, you can file a claim in the ordinary district court (tingsrätt) or, for smaller sums (up to SEK 75,000), in the conciliation board (förlikningsnämnden). Keeping all the above evidence organized will make it much easier to prove the breach and obtain the compensation you are entitled to.

Sincerely,
A-i-c
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