The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority has granted Kesko permission to acquire Suomen Lähikauppa, but with an obligation to sell 60 stores to competitors. (more…)
Tag Archives | Kesko
K-Citymarket to open bicycle pop-up stores
Three K-citymarkets open bicycle pop-up stores in cooperation with the Suomen Polkupyörätukun . The service is a new type of Finland. Customers at K-citymarket hypermarkets will be able to enjoy a wide array and a number of different bicycle types. Pop-ups in Karisma Lahti, Seinäjoki and Oulu Joupissa Kaakkuri will be open during the season from March to the end of […]
Kesko to reform all K-citymarkets
K-citymarket’s Finnish comprehensive reform has started, all the stores are to be renewed after the local customers wishes by the end of 2018. “The K-citymarket chain reform are utilized by a new way of customer feedback and store-specific customer information. The aim is to make each one of 81 store look unique to its customer base , two K-citymarkets won’t […]
Kesko grew on all areas
Kesko Group’s sales in February 2016 totalled 656.8 million EUR. In comparable terms excluding Anttila, sales increased by 5.6 percent in local currencies. “In February, Kesko’s sales increased in all strategic growth areas: the grocery trade, the building and home improvement trade, and the car trade,” says Kesko’s President and CEO Mikko Helander. (more…)
Kesko has Finland’s most trusted brands
Kesko has a strong hand of store brands – in a new survey, K-rauta, Intersport and Asko was by far the most trusted brands in each category in Finland. (more…)
Kesko joins ICA for international home and specialty goods sourcing
Kesko partners up with Swedish ICA’s international ICA Global Sourcing (IGS) in international purchasing for Kesko’s home and speciality goods trade, to an extent of which is unprecedented in the history of Kesko. The strategy is to achieve a more diverse selection of home and speciality goods available at K-food stores. The key objective of the sourcing cooperation mainly from […]
Kesko to extend bread deliveries to Sundays
Finland’s largest bakery companies Vaasa and Fazer start delivering fresh-baked bread to grocery stores on Sundays. Sunday has so far been the only day when the shops do not have bread delivered, and only some of the K-citymarket hypermarkets have own bakeries in operation on Sundays. The background of the Sunday delivery is the release of opening hours, which has increased the […]
Kesko increased profit 2015
Kesko’s net sales last year were 8,679 million EUR, excluding Anttila they remained at the level of the previous year. Sales of groceries suffered from declining prices. ”We can be satisfied when we take account of the continued weak trend in the purchasing power of the main market area in Finland, says President and CEO Mikko Helander. […]
He runs Finland’s best K-supermarket
Among its 220 stores, K-Supermarket chain has chosen the best of 2015. Espoo K-supermarket Mankkaa was awarded as best of the best. K-supermarket Mustapekka has the best customer satisfaction and this year’s newcomer is K-supermarket Torpparinmäki. (more…)
Kesko & H&M the most sustainable retail trade companies in the world
Kesko – followed by H&M – are the most sustainable corporations in the world. This according to the Global 100-list presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday. (more…)
Further price war on food in Finland
The Finnish price war in food continues this year. Kesko announced yesterday that the K-stores lowers the price of two thousand products. Today both the S Group and the future Kesko acquisition, Suomen Lähikauppa, replies with similar measures. (more…)
Kesko’s sales increased in in all divisions
Kesko Group’s sales in December 2015 totalled 781.8 million EUR. In comparable terms excluding Anttila, sales increased by 3.0 percent in local currencies. “In December, Kesko’s sales increased in all divisions, especially in the car trade and the home improvement and speciality goods trade. Sales grew also in the grocery trade, although prices continued to decline further,” […]
Kesko aquires B2B-giant Onninen
Kesko buys buildingware giant provider Onninen and increases its B2B-sales signficantly. ”We will gain lots of new, top notch expertise and expand into new product lines and new customer groups,” says Kesko’s President and CEO Mikko Helander. (more…)
Sale of Suomen Lähikauppa to be further examined
Kesko’s aquisition of Suomen Lähikauppa will be further examined by the Finnish Competition and Consumer Protection Office, KKV. KKV believes Kesko might gain monopoly in local areas, but also the national impact on the grocery market will be examined. And with one actor gone on the Finnish market, aquisitions will come into focus even more. (more…)
After Parliament decision – SOK to extend opening hours in 500 stores
The Finnish Parliament has approved a proposal to make the opening hours of shops in the retail and hairdressing salons more liberal. S Group announced immediately that they extend the hours of operation for more than 500 stores as a giant trial. ”If the new opening hours are not suitable for all our customers, we will […]
Kesko’s buildingware best performer in November
Kesko’s sales increased in November by 1.7 percent in local currencies. “Kesko’s sales increased particularly in Finland in the building and home improvement trade and in sports trade. In the grocery trade, sales were at the level of the previous year and the general decline in prices continued”, says Kesko’s President and CEO Mikko Helander. In Kesko’s grocery […]
Kesko to close down Musta Pörssi
The former consumer electronics chain Musta Pörssi will cease operating Kesko has mounted down the business operations step by step and will also close the e-commerce by the end of 2015. (more…)
Kesko to put their loyalty card in smartphone
Kesko now launches the K-Plussa card app for smartphones. But iPhone-owners will have to wait. (more…)
Kesko trials prepared meal bags
Kesko follows the trend with ready meal bags, prepared with recipes and all required ingredients. But customers will have to get them inside the store instead of home delivery. A part of the strategy is to reduce food waste. (more…)
Kesko buys all shares in Suomen Lähikauppa
Finnish grocery market just lost an alternative. The small store specialist Suomen Lähikauppa Oy with 643 Valintatalo and Siwa stores with 6.8 percent of the market will now become a part of Kesko. ”Suomen Lähikauppa has excellent business locations and the acquisition will enable us to implement our strategy faster than planned and with significantly […]
Kesko opens future test store in Helsinki
A new kind of K-food store opens in Myllypuro, Helsinki today. It will be K-Group’s test store where Kesko, in cooperation with the retailer entrepreneur, boldly experiments with various food store concepts and models. (more…)
Retail-domino in Jyväskylä city centre
Jyväskylä city centre will change as big retail companies change places in the coming months or no later than next spring. For example, Hennes & Mauritz and Pentik change their existing premises, reports Keskisuomalainen. (more…)
Kesko to build new retail center in Tampere
Kesko launches a new retail center site to be opened in spring 2016 in Tampere at Tesoma. (more…)
Kesko trials in-store mobile marketing
K-citymarket Turku Kupittaa is testing the attractiveness and functionality of a new service that brings the store’s special offers to customers’ mobile phones. (more…)
Kesko’s international operations up 12.5% in August
Kesko’s fighting the price downturn in Finland, but does better on other markets. Total sales in August increased by 0.6% in local currencies, excluding Anttila. “Kesko’s sales continued to increase in August despite the challenging market situation. Sales development was particularly strong in the home improvement and speciality goods trade outside Finland, where the growth […]
DHL to partner with Kesko for 300 pick up-points with parcel lockers
DHL Express and the K-Group have signed a cooperation agreement which will make 250–300 DHL service points available at the K-Group’s food stores and building and home improvement stores in different parts of Finland. The partnership also opens for cooperations on markets outside Finland. (more…)
Kesko to update and expand K-market in Northern Finland
Kesko will renew all its K-markets in Northern Finland to best serve its customers as neighborhood shops. The product selection will be tailored to local customer needs. All K-Extra stores will be converted to K-market. (more…)
Kesko’s building and home improvement sales are accelerating
Kesko’s suffering from lower grocery prices – but the speciality goods trade is increasing on all markets. ”We are particularly pleased with the strong development in the building and home improvement trade,” says CEO Mikko Helander about July. (more…)
Large growth for online food in Finland
It is becoming increasingly popular to buy food on the web in Finland. But still, Finns spend a very small share of their food budget online. (more…)
Kesko’s sales strengthened in June
Kesko Group’s sales in June 2015 totalled 765.8 million EUR. Excluding Anttila, sales increased by 1.2 percent in local currencies. But the grocery trade went down 1.7 percent. ”Given the circumstances, the sales of the grocery trade in June were strong,” comments CEO Mikko Helander. (more…)
Kesko to change logo, strategy and store concepts
Kesko’s launching a massive strategy turn to gain profitable growth. Board of Directors points out three strategic areas: the grocery trade, the building and home improvement trade and the car trade. “In the future, Kesko will operate as a unified K-Group more strongly than before and a new strong corporate identity, expressed through a revised K […]
Easter made Kesko’s sales decline
Timing of Easter caused Kesko’s sales to decline in April. So far inb 2015, best performance is outside Finland. (more…)
Kesko publishes list of high-risk factories
Kesko is making their purchasing chain more transparent. A list of the factories in high-risk countries manufacturing Kesko’s own brand clothes and shoes and those imported by the company itself is published on Kesko’s website. (more…)
Kesko sets up Finnish-Swedish property company with Ilmarinen and AMF
Kesko sets up a joint real estate investment company with AMF Pensionsförsäkring and Ilmarinen. The new company Ankkurikadun Kiinteistöt immediately acquires 34 store sites and shopping centres Merituuli in Espoo, Karisma in Lahti and Veturi in Kouvola. (more…)
Increasing interest for Seinäjoki shopping centre project
The delayed shopping centre project Lakeuden Ankkuri in Seinäjoki is progressing. According to Kesko District Director Jari Alanen the situation looks good at the moment. ”The Seinäjoki market arouses interest, especially among clothing chain stores,” he said on Wednesday at a store opening ceremony. (more…)
Two new members of Kesko’s management board
Kesko’s got two new members of the management board. Karoliina Partanen, 38, has been appointed Kesko’s grocery trade division’s Vice President, Communications. Ari Svensk, 51, has been appointed grocery trade division’s Vice President, Human Resources. (more…)
S Group takes price war to supermarket chain
S Group is stepping up the price war on food in Finland. Now the lower prices campaign of Prisma hypermarkets is expanded to all 453 S-Market stores. “Now we can say that “Halpuuttaminen”covers the whole of Finland. This is a great thing as the S-Market chain is Finland’s largest grocery chain, ” says SOK’s CEO […]
Kesko-CEO sees positive trends
Kesko will soon launch its new strategy – and improved its profit during the first three months of 2015. ”The divestment of Anttila will significantly improve Kesko’s profitability,” ,” says President and CEO Mikko Helander. (more…)
Kesko to invest 100 million EUR in new commercial centre
Kesko’s plans for the new commercial centre at Itäkeskus in eastern Helsinki is taking shape. Together with Haahtela-rakennuttaminen Oy as partner, the construction project’s first phase including 26,000 square meters will be completed in 2017. (more…)
Kesko to open Starbucks-cafés
Updated. Starbucks has found a new grocery channel partner in Scandinavia. Kesko will soon open Starbucks cafés in a dozen of K-stores throughout Finland. The roll-out will start in Sello, Espoo, after the summer. ”We are not limited to our stores only”, Kesko Mika Rautaiainen tells Scandinavianretail.com (more…)
Kesko’s sales up in March
Kesko reports better times. The sales increased by 2.0 percent in March, but the home improvement segment has a tough time in Finlan, while sales in the grocery trade increased by 6.9percent. (more…)
Hypermarket sales decreasing – Lidl now number three in Finland
Grocery sales in hypermarkets are no longer growing and for the first time in history their sales are decreasing. This is one conclusion from Nielsen’s yearly report on grocery retail and the chains on the Finnish market. Tightest competition over market shares stands between Lidl and K-Group where Lidl continued its strong growth and advanced to […]
Kesko shut down Citymarket online store
Kesko’s K-Citymarket has closed their e-commerce until further notice. Kesko says it’s because of renewal of online stores activities (more…)
Kesko sells Anttila to German investment fund
Kesko divests the troubled home and furniture chain Anttila with 23 department stores to the German investment fund 4K Invest. ”A good basis for the development of Anttila’s operations,” says Kesko President Mikko Helander. (more…)
Kesko increased February-sales in Finland
Kesko’s sales in February in the grocery trade remained the same, sales in the home improvement and speciality goods trade increased in Finland. (more…)
Nine screen cinema to Kesko-project at Itäkeskus
Nordic Cinema Group’s Finnish subsidiary Finnkino will open a cinema with nine screens in Kesko’s new shopping center at Itäkeskus in eastern Helsinki. ”The inhabitants of Helsinki has for years been hoping for a cinema in the area,” says Finnkino Chief of Operations, Ismo Määttä. (more…)
Kesko-CEO: More foreign discount chains would hurt Finnish food industry
The newly appointed CEO of retail chain giant Kesko, Mikko Helander, says Finnish food industry and agriculture would be in for difficult times if more foreign discount supermarket chains start appearing on the Finnish market with own-branded products. “The agricultural sector would be lost if we did not have, for example, Valio, Fazer, Raisio, and […]
Kesko promises new actions
Kesko did not reach the market expectations for 2014. “A good result in a difficult situation”, says CEO Mikko Helander. Also K-Rauta and Byggmakker operations in Sweden and Norway loses sales. (more…)
Lidl joins the new Finnish price cutting trend
Finnish supermarkets have in the recent days announced major price cuts. Now Lidl replies with price cuts from today. (more…)
Kesko to build high tech centre at Itäkeskus
Shopping mall giant Itis and the retail park at Helsinki east centre is about to get more company. Kesko plans for a new supermodern Citymarket – and a new shopping centre. ”Enterprises and customers will be able to shop both physically and virtually in the centre,” says Kesko’s President and CEO Mikko Helander. (more…)