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Zure wanted the best place in the city centre – Citycenter met the employees’ needs

The software development company Zure aims to be the most high-quality service provider globally in its field. The company wanted to have business premises in the heart of Helsinki. “If we want to be the best in the field, we need to operate in the best spot”, says Sakari Nahi, CEO of Zure.

The view from Zure’s office on the fourth floor of Citycenter is stunning. The wall-to-wall windows overlook Helsinki city centre. People can follow the nonstop bustle at the Helsinki Central Railway Station like a reality show from the floors above.

At Zure, it is the employees who get to enjoy the impressive view. 

No shoes are worn in the spacious facilities, where you can also get around on a scooter if need be. Impressive sci-fi paintings on the walls feature themes like the future and the supernatural. These are the themes that Zure’s working culture and thinking also represent.

“We must thank our employees for our success, so it went without saying that there would be workstations by the windows, not rooms for the management or meeting facilities”, says Nahi.

The best public transport connections in Finland

The company was established in 2011. Since then, it has moved four times and every time closer and closer to the city centre.

The 60 employees of Zure have 730 square metres of space on the fourth floor of Citycenter.

Zure designs and builds applications on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. Originally, the company was based in Keilaniemi, but then it moved to the centre of Helsinki and became a customer of Sponda.

Zure was first located at Forum, then it moved to Arkadiankatu and finally to Citycenter, where they can enjoy the transport connections best-suited to their needs.

Our success is built on team work. It means we need office space that brings people together and is easy to get to.

“For us, public transport connections are the most important thing. Our high-quality services are based on team work, which requires that premises must pull people together and that it must be equally easy to travel there from all directions. In addition, the number of customer visits has significantly increased with every move”, says Nahi.

In addition to common open spaces, there are five meeting rooms with different styles, four offices, a rest room, a Smartblock for four people, two phone booths and above all, a game room.

The CEO comes to work by metro, just like the majority of other Zure employees.

“It would be a waste of time to come to work by car. You can read your email messages or relax when you travel by metro”, Nahi says and grins.

Different lunchroom every day

Another major reason for choosing Citycenter was that the company wanted to be in the most energetic place of the city – where the people are.

The company’s location next to the Central Railway Station and above a metro station ensures that there are always people around More than 16 million people visit the centrally located Citycenter annually.     

“Länsimetro reduced bus traffic, which also affected the number of people visiting Kamppi and Narikkatori and made the surroundings of Arkadiankatu calmer. Here, life is vibrant 24 hours a day, seven days a week”, says Nahi.

Zure employees are also happy about the most varied lunch offering in the city. There are up to 30 different cafeterias and restaurants in the property, so it is possible to have lunch in a different venue on every day of the month.

Citycenter offers a large selection of lunch restaurants and culinary experiences. For example, the burgers served at Social Burgerjoint on the second floor are officially the best in Europe.

In addition, the health and fitness centre Elixia is popular among the company’s personnel, particularly because they get free access to the gym as an employee benefit.

People enjoy the premium premises in their free time too

The 60 employees of Zure have 730 square metres of space on the fourth floor of Citycenter. In addition to common open spaces, there are five meeting rooms with different styles, four offices, a rest room, a Smartblock for four people, two phone booths and above all, a game room.

Car games, a pinball machine, table football and electronic drums can be enjoyed in the soundproof game room. New employees tend to be challenged to a game of table football as soon as they start.

“Our personnel required that there must be a soundproof game room with car games, a pinball machine, table football and electronic drums”, says Nahi and laughs.

Employees come to the company’s premises in the heart of the city to play virtual games or just hang out in their free time, too.

People enjoy spending time in the cosy premises and come to admire beautiful scenery in their free time, too. Employees come to the office to play virtual games or they hang out there in the evenings with their friends or children. Sometimes they even throw parties in the spacious facilities.

Premises promote growth

The partnership with Sponda has proven to be a significant factor producing added value to the rapidly growing company. In recent years, Zure’s organic growth has been 40–50%, and the company has managed to remain profitable.  

Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals trophies on display are a testament to the company employing three of Microsoft’s most respected Azure specialists. There are five Azure MVP specialists in Finland.

“With Sponda, our growth will not pose problems in terms of premises. We have always been able to move from one place to another in the city centre whenever we have needed more space. Next, we are going to double our current space so that we can expand our facilities on the fourth floor towards Kaivokatu”, says Nahi.

The Zure corporate culture embraces team work and a sense of community, which is why the office has plenty of spaces that are conducive to encounters.

The CEO values high quality and sustainability in Sponda’s operations. The same values are also essential to Zure.

“Our brands support one another. Sponda builds premium spaces, and we offer premium-level expert services. We are also a carbon-neutral company, and Sponda can support us with our sustainability targets.”

Sakari Nahi
Sakari Nahi, this pioneering company’s CEO and second founder, is much in demand as a speaker and lecturer. “Our premises are a part of our vision and growth strategy”, he says.

In Nahi’s opinion, it is a significant strategic choice to invest in premises. 

“In this filed, growth is generated by the best experts, and work environment and corporate culture play crucial roles in that competition. We want to ensure that premises won’t be the reason why Zure would fail to grow.”

Zure wants to be the best in its field

  • The company was established in 2011.
  • It operates in Finland and Belgium and has 60 employees at the moment.
  • Zure designs and builds applications on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. It also helps companies to use them to gain business benefits.
  • Zure has a low-hierarchy and autonomous corporate culture.
  • The company’s customers include YIT, Seure, Metso Outotec, JCDecaux, Buster and Finferries.
  • The company’s objective is to be the most high-quality global player in the field within the next 10–20 years.
It’s a surprise to many that Citycenter offers almost as much high-quality office space above the shopping centre as there is commercial space in the shopping centre itself.

Did you know that Citycenter is also an office building?

  • In the shopping centre block, there are a total of 45,000 square meters, of which approximately 20,000 square meters are office spaces.
  • Tenant companies include game companies, banks, a software company and a law firm.
  • The office floors (floors 4–8) are being renovated comprehensively and all building service technology will be updated.
  • The office spaces are getting new impressive entrances in 2020.
  • The property offers companies the best public transport connections in Finland.
  • At Citycenter, there are 30 cafeterias and restaurants, as well as comprehensive shopping centre services.
  • The property overlooks the surroundings of the Helsinki Central Railway Station with the most fascinating view of Helsinki.
  • Life is always vibrant around Citycenter – there are more than 16 million people going through the shopping centre every year.

Are you interested in Citycenter and its updated spaces? Ask for vacant premises >>

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