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Tokmanni Citycenter to complement services in central Helsinki

Tokmanni opened its new store in Sponda’s shopping centre Citycenter in late August. The store’s opening was celebrated in a style familiar to Tokmanni with special offers and giveaways of its famous gift buckets for the first customers.

On Thursday 31 August, at around seven thirty in the morning, the line of people on the lower floor of the Citycenter shopping centre reaches all the way to the Makkaratalo doors. Eager shoppers at the front of the queue say they have arrived as early as six or six thirty. A new Tokmanni store is opening on Citycenter’s K2 floor in the former Anttila premises in Makkaratalo and has already attracted a large crowd of shoppers.

With this latest addition, Tokmanni now operates eight stores in the city of Helsinki, 18 within its metropolitan area and a total of 169 across Finland. By the end of this year, that number is expected to rise to 175.

Helsinki city councillor Risto Rautava is also attending the opening ceremony. In his speech, he commends the diversification of services in the city centre.

At eight o’clock, Sponda’s manager of Citycenter Tiina Fågel cuts the ribbon, and the patient shoppers can now explore the new store and receive their gift buckets in celebration of the opening.

According to Harri Sivula, acting President and CEO and chair of the Board of Directors of Tokmanni, the addition of a store in a prime location in the city centre has been in the works for a long while.

”We are very happy to be opening the latest Tokmanni store in Makkaratalo and the busy Citycenter shopping centre. Thanks to its central location, excellent public transportation and clear guide signs, stopping at our store along your commute, for example, is quick and effortless,” Sivula explains.

Bring your friends and join the queue

A cheerful group stands out from the line of people, enjoying freshly baked buns and coffee from a flask. The five friends joined the crowd on the initiative of Jarkko Laaksonen.

”I came across an announcement on Facebook about this opening and began asking around on social media whether anyone would like to come along and enjoy the festivities at Makkaratalo,” Laaksonen says.

Ilse Paakkinen has dressed up for the occasion in an elegant vintage dress.
”Jarkko always comes up with these fantastic ideas and gets the rest of us out of the house. The atmosphere here is amazing,” Paakkinen says.

After a tour around the store, the friends take a while to compare their buckets and finish their coffees. All agree that this could be the start of a new tradition, although this time attending the opening was simple enough thanks to the store’s central location along their commutes.

”Next time, a little upgrade in the queueing is in order, with chairs and even better snacks than today.”

”City Tokmanni” at the service of Helsinki residents

The Tokmanni store opened in Citycenter represents the chain’s newest retail concept, which puts emphasis on a comfortable and effortless customer experience. The store includes tax-free services, a recycling point for small electronic waste and a pick-up point for online purchases. Its range of products has been specialised to match the daily needs of city residents.

The selection includes, for example, dry foods, clothes and accessories and home utilities such as household items, textiles, tools and recreational, technochemical and entertainment products as well as home electronics.

The new Tokmanni’s retail space in the former Anttila premises is approximately 1,100 m2. With its 15 employees, the store is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Published 8.9.2017

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