Kesko Food to open a new generation K-citymarket at Malmi, Helsinki
Kesko Food is reforming its K-citymarket concept. The first new generation K-citymarket will open on 15 October at Malmi, Helsinki. The new concept focuses on shopping ease and store efficiency. Environmental soundness has also been taken into more careful consideration at planning stage.
The K-citymarket to be opened at the Malmin Nova shopping centre is a pilot store. The next K-citymarkets operating under the new concept are scheduled to open in Oulu at the end of November and in Jyväskylä next spring. The plan is to give a new look to 10-15 existing K-citymarkets during the year 2004.
The purpose of the reform is to make shopping as flexible and pleasant as possible. Products are displayed in clear arrangements, category signs have been revamped and added. Self-service operations have also been improved by introducing new information systems. In addition to a customer service counter, the store has several information points where customers may, for instance, check product prices with the help of a terminal.
Product departments open to the main aisles, which enables customers to see the whole product offering of the store along their shopping route. A seasonal aisle faces the main entrance prominently displaying items of current interest. A price aisle - a so-called quick shopping zone - runs through the store with shelf ends offering low-priced products of current interest and special offers.
Shopping pleasure is enhanced by the new in-store colour scheme with green and blue featuring in fixtures. Lighting is based on solutions that save energy. The overall lighting power has been reduced and the number of spotlights has been increased, which helps soften the effect. The store design also lets in plenty of natural light. Recyclable building materials have been used, for instance, in the partition walls of the store backrooms.
In connection with this reform, Kesko Food also introduces a subconcept, the Costa Rica Cafe coffee shop, which offers coffee and freshly baked products to the citymarket customers. The K-citymarket also includes a Lorumaa department for 0-2 year-old children offering children’s accessories, foods and clothes.
The K-citymarket Malmi is an environmental store
The K-citymarket is located in the expansion of the Malmin Nova shopping centre now completed. Malmin Nova is situated in the north-eastern part of Helsinki with good communications. The expansion makes it the sixth largest shopping centre in the greater Helsinki area with a total area of 28,400 square metres. In addition to the K-citymarket, there are over 40 businesses offering services on the premises.
The K-citymarket has an area of 9,700 square metres and employs a staff of about 100 persons.
The K-citymarket Malmi is the 200th K-store that has adopted an operating system in compliance with the K-environmental store diploma. Before the opening date, retailer Mika Vaajanen and department store director Daniel Seere received a diploma developed by the K-Retailers’ Association, Kesko and the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation. The operating system enables stores to reduce their own environmental load and to help customers choose environmentally sound products and recycle their waste. Before a K-store can get an environmental store diploma it must pass an audit by a party from outside the K-Alliance.
Kesko Food has invested 30 million euros in the K-citymarket Malmi, which is the 49th K-citymarket in Finland. Kesko Food also operates Citymarkets in Estonia and Latvia.
Further information:
Kari Kivikoski, Vice President of K-citymarket chain, Managing Director of Citymarket Oy,
tel. +358 1053 22207
