Business Class | Autumn 2022

HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

The best of both worlds What kind of workers are returning to the office after the pandemic?

FUTURE OF WORK | FINANCE | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS & AI | SMART COMMERCE

CONTENTS FINANCE

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

8

3

9

Siun Sote is a forerunner in financial planning of wellbeing service counties

Building sustainable logistics More than carbon

AI 10 Sustainable is sensible business

FUTURE OF WORK

SMART COMMERCE

4

The best of both worlds

12

Transparency and Responsibility in Digital Commerce

6

The future of learning for the future of work

13

Joyful treasure hunting

Maailman onnellisin kansa ansaitsee myös parasta koulutusta

14

Tunne tekee tyylin

7

PUBLISHER

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CONTRIBUTORS David J. Cord Mari Korhonen Timo Sormunen

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PunaMusta / Tampere 2022

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FINANCE

Siun Sote is a forerunner in financial planning of wellbeing service counties

F

inland is going through a reform of healthcare, social welfare and rescue services. The responsibility for organizing these services will be transferred from municipalities to wellbeing services counties from 2023. Siun Sote will become one of the 21 self-governing wellbeing service counties. ”We wanted a flexible solution that adapts to our changing needs. We settled for IBM Planning Analytics because it is a technically very capable and widely used platform globally,” says Samu Kuosmanen, Director of Digital Services, Siun Sote.

IBM Planning Analytics with Watson is a modern cloud-based planning and analysis platform. It enables integrated planning that allows your organization to transcend the limits of manual planning.

PHOTO: EPPU NIEMI.

Siun Sote has been combining its operations since 2017, when a joint municipal authority of 13 municipalities was formed. Now the renewal of the financial budgeting and forecasting has been on their agenda. The aim of the renewal was to gain flexibility, transparency, and well-functioning tools for Siun Sote’s financial management.

People’s work is more meaningful with the modern solution The collaboration between Siun Sote and Intito started in early 2022 and the first high level budgeting model was completed after the summer. After the first phase Siun Sote achieved much needed flexibility, ease of use and increased automation.

“We asked solution vendors to prepare a demo of use cases important to us using the data we provided. Intito seemed to immediately understand our needs. Intito’s experts have an excellent combination of financial management understanding and profound technology experience,” says Kuosmanen.

Through the renewal, Siun Sote has taken a step towards modern financial planning and forecasting. ”We wanted to reduce manual work and save our Controllers time to do more strategic tasks, such as impact analysis, forecasting and scenario planning. Modern tools help our financial management people to do their job well and focus on what’s essential,” Kuosmanen says.

Siun Sote wants to be a trendsetter for other wellbeing service counties ”Our collaboration with Intito will continue by expanding and enhancing the usage

Intito’s experts have an excellent combination of financial management understanding and profound technology experience” - Samu Kuosmanen, Director of Digital Services, Siun Sote

of the new platform. The long-term goal is an integrated planning solution that covers the financial planning of our entire wellbeing service county.” Kuosmanen ponders and continues: “We are also excited to get into the global IBM Planning Analytics user community as we can learn from other users worldwide. We want to be trendsetters for other wellbeing service counties and public sector operators in financial planning and forecasting.” | Visit intito.fi to learn more.

BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

3

FUTURE OF WORK

The best of both worlds

Working from home has changed what people want and need from an office.

Framery’s pods bring areas for video calls and quiet work into the dynamic open office plan.

TEXT: DAVID J. CORD

W

hat kind of office are workers returning to after the pandemic? Maybe a better question is: what kind of workers are returning to the office after the pandemic?

When people worked at home they became accustomed to quiet spaces and video conferencing. Now they are returning to open offices which were not built with the modern working environment in mind. Working methods evolve faster than architecture.

“People are eager to replicate the best work-from-home perks in the workplace,” explains Framery’s Founder & CEO, Samu Hällfors.

Framery is a Tampere, Finland-based company which was founded in 2010. Their idea is to create soundproof office phone booths, pods and private spaces to solve the noise and privacy issues in open offices. This was a great idea when open offices became popular, but it is even a better idea in the post-pandemic working environment.

Creative and dynamic, but loud and chaotic There are many great things about open offices. They offer more opportunities for communications and creative

4

BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

interactions. Surveys have shown that workers are ready to return to the office after the pandemic and have real-world interactions with their colleagues and customers again. But like everything in business, there are always compromises to be made.

Open offices can be noisy, busy places. Over 50% of people have a hard time concentrating in open-plan offices, according to the University of Sydney. Also, sometimes your conversations shouldn’t be overheard by all of your colleagues.

The challenges of open space offices have become worse after the pandemic. About 40% of people say their ability to concentrate in open offices has significantly worsened after the pandemic, according to a Framery survey of 4,000 white collar workers in America. Additionally, the way of working has changed. Video conferencing is the new normal and will probably increase 500% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

“The majority of companies have already noticed a shortage of places to have video meetings in the office,” says Hällfors. “They are working on solving these needs now.”

Workers need a quiet option Balance is key. There are great benefits to the open office, but people also need designated quiet spaces. They must have the option to choose the environment they need for a particular task.

Workers are clear that they need such spaces. In the Framery survey 65% say access to designated quiet spaces improves their work life satisfaction, while 57% believe such a space would be the best office perk. However, 51% say their office currently doesn’t have enough designated quiet space. In fact, a whopping 18% claim they don’t have any quiet places at all!

Private, soundproofed and echo-free Companies are increasingly realising that such designated quiet spaces are a necessary component to the modern office. About 40% of the Forbes 100 companies use Framery solutions, including Microsoft, Puma and Tesla. They make for happier employees, and happier employees are more productive and are less likely to leave for a competitor.

Framery product family

Boosting productivity and retaining key talent makes good business sense.

Framery’s office pods allow peace and quiet for concentrating on work or having private conversations. They range in size from a one-person space to an area big enough for multiple people. Many options are available, including In the Framery survey furnishings, connectivity and accessibility.

65% say access to “The future is uncerdesignated quiet tain, but the need for spaces improves their acoustic pods is clear,” work life satisfaction. says Hällfors. “Ten years ago we were solving the noise problems of the open office. Today we help companies meet the demand for video conferencing spaces in hybrid offices. Creating happiness is at the core of our business, and our revolutionary pod solutions will precisely do that.” |

Framery One – an adaptable and connected space for one person Framery O – classic phone booth style pod for one

Framery Q – for 1-4 people with wide range of options, such as wheelchair access Framery 2Q – a meeting room designed for 4-6 people

Frameryacoustics.com BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

5

FUTURE OF WORK

The future of learning for the future of work

“One of my favourite courses is the Science of Well-Being,” says Anthony Tattersall, Vice President Enterprise, EMEA at Coursera. “Two others I really like are Learning How to Learn and AI For Everyone.”

TEXT: DAVID J. CORD

C

oursera offers more than 5,200 online courses from over 275 universities and companies, so it can be difficult to pick favourites. People can learn specific job skills such as Data Science from the IBM Skills Network and hobby related skills such as photography from the Museum of Modern Art. People can also pursue personal development, like improving communication skills with the University of Pennsylvania.

Lifelong learning is critical today, particularly in an economy which is continually evolving. Organisations know having the right talent is one of the keys to success, so they turn to Coursera to develop the skill sets they need for their employees.

“Companies can attract more talent by partnering with us. People earn a co-branded certificate with your company’s name on it and share it on social media. You are seen as the go-to company for people to learn new skills,” explains Tattersall.

Organisations can also retain the talent they have, he says, by helping them develop new skills. People are happier to remain at a company if they know they can continue to develop their careers there.

“Businesses can also improve their outcomes,” says Tattersall. “They can make and follow KPIs such as profit, margins, productivity or internal mobility, and watch how these are positively impacted by their staff developing the right skill sets with us.”

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In the future we will see even more collaboration between industry and university to develop study programmes for the right skills.”

– Anthony Tattersall Vice President Enterprise, EMEA, Coursera

BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

Massive corporations such as Capgemini and Siemens use Coursera for Business to upskill their entire workforce, while smaller organisations can use Coursera for Teams to build specific competencies. People can also earn full degrees or professional certificates through Coursera. Building on those Professional Certificates, Career Academy provides role-specific training from industry leaders like Google and Meta. Flexibility to fit the needs of busy people is key.

Coursera’s courses are delivered through a variety of formats, such as traditional lectures or guided projects which include applied learning. One of the newest is Clips, a collection of over 200,000 short videos and lessons. For example, 80% of employees using Coursera for Business need to learn something specific in the next month to advance their work. They could use Clips to learn how to perform specific tasks in Excel or how to make a successful presentation.

“In the future we will see even more collaboration between industry and university to develop study programmes for the right skills,” says Tattersall. “Many under-represented groups now have access to better education, and this will improve their career prospects as well as provide more talent to companies.” | If you are interested in learning more,

please get in touch with Ceyda Redjeb, credjeb@coursera.org or go to coursera.org/business

FUTURE OF WORK

Janne Kuusisen luotsaama Professio järjestää vuosittain yli 500 erilaista ammattilaistapahtumaa ja koulutusta, joissa eri alojen ammattilaiset voivat päivittää omaa osaamistaan sekä verkottua muiden osallistujien kanssa.

Maailman onnellisin kansa ansaitsee myös parasta koulutusta Suomessa on rummutettu jo vuosikaudet koko työuran mittaisen ja jatkuvan oppimisen tärkeyttä.

Se kuitenkin edellyttää, että myös itse koulutus on korkeatasoista ja kiinnostavaa, muistuttaa Profession toimitusjohtaja Janne Kuusinen.

TEKSTI: TIMO SORMUNEN

S

uomalaiset ovat palailleet koronakuri-

Isona buusterina on Kuusisen mukaan myös

muksen jälkeen etätöistä takaisin työ-

digitalisaatio. Useimpien suomalaisten työnkuvat

paikoille ja erilaisiin koulutustapahtumiin.

muokkautuvat vuoteen 2030 mennessä tyystin

Täyttä paluuta vanhaan ei kuitenkaan ole, sillä etä- ja hybridityöstä on tullut useimmilla työpaikoilla osa arkea.

Tämä on myös koulutus- ja tapahtumajärjestäjien huomioitava, Profession toimitusjoh-

Useimpien suomalaisten

työnkuvat muokkautuvat

”Enää ei todellakaan riitä, että suoritat tutkinnon ja päivität osaamistasi 1–2 vuoden välein

nykyisistä, mikä

osaamisesta on pidettävä jatkuvasti huolta ja

osaamisen kehittämisen

on huomattavasti parempi ja tehokkaampi tapa”,

tyystin toisenlaisiksi

”Työelämän tavoin myös koulutus on digitataan aiempaa selvästi enemmän etäyhteyksin.

kehittämisen tarvetta entisestään.

vuoteen 2030 mennessä

taja Janne Kuusinen huomauttaa. lisaation myötä murroksessa ja niihin osallistu-

toisenlaisiksi, mikä lisää koulutuksen ja osaamisen

Se taas pakottaa lisäämään sisällön laatupa-

lisää koulutuksen ja

tarvetta entisestään.

noksia, sillä webinaarista voi poistua huomattavasti helpommin kuin luentosalista,” hän muistuttaa.

Kuusinen tietää konkreettisesti mistä puhuu. Hänen luot-

jossakin ammattilaisseminaarissa. Sen sijaan siihen säännöllisesti toistuva tiivis täsmäkoulutus Kuusinen toteaa.

Yhtenä esimerkkinä uudesta suunnasta hän mainitsee

Profession

it-alan

ammattilaisille

suunnatut Upload-koulutukset, joissa nimensä mukaisesti on tarjolla toimialan uusimmat tietopäivitykset.

saamansa Professio järjestää vuosittain yli 500 erilaista am-

”Ajan tasalla oleva osaaminen on työnhaussa alati kovem-

mattilaistapahtumaa ja koulutusta, joissa eri alojen ammat-

pi kilpailuvaltti. Mahdollisuus jatkuvaan kouluttautumiseen ja

tilaiset voivat päivittää omaa osaamistaan sekä verkottua

kehittymiseen lisää puolestaan työnantajan houkuttavuutta”,

muiden osallistujien kanssa.

Kuusinen tiivistää. |

Raskaiden seminaarien sijaan jatkuvia päivityksiä Profession selkeänä missiona onkin tehdä Suomesta maailman osaavin kansa. Tuon tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi koulutuk-

Pitämällä ihmiset inspiroituneina ja verkostoituneina, kannamme

sissa tarjotaan aina mahdollisimman kiinnostavaa, laadukas-

myös vastuuta koko Suomen kilpailukyvyn kehittämisestä, ja

ta ja tulevaisuuden tarpeita vastaavaa sisältöä, mutta myös

olemme mukana tekemässä Suomesta maailman osaavinta

joustavia ja monipuolisia tapoja osallistua.

kansaa. Lue lisää ja osallistu: professio.fi & upload.fi

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

BUILDING SUSTAINABLE LOGISTICS DHL is investing billions to improve their environmental sustainability.

TEXT: DAVID J. CORD

D

HL delivers over 1.8 billion parcels annually to over 220 countries and territories around the world. They are continually working to make these deliveries as sustainably as possible.

“We are committed to lower our greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050,” says Oktay Nuri, CEO of DHL Express Finland. “Deutsche Post DHL Group is investing €7 billion by 2030 in sustainable aviation fuels, carbon-neutral buildings, electric vehicles and a comprehensive portfolio of green products.”

Aviation is extremely important for our modern lifestyle and economy, but the industry is a large source of greenhouse gas emissions. Newer planes have more

efficient engines, better aerodynamics and lighter composite materials, which reduces fuel use and lowers emissions, but DHL is taking more drastic action.

In the spring of 2022 DHL Express announced BP and Neste would provide more than 800 million litres of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) until 2026. SAFs are biofuels made from sustainable sources like waste cooking oil. This agreement will save the equivalent of 400,000 cars’ annual emissions.

Another way to improve sustainability in aviation is with electric aircraft. DHL is working with Eviation Aircraft to develop the world’s first fully electric cargo plane. The plane, “Alice”, only recently made its maiden flight in the USA. Electric aviation still needs time to develop, but electric

DHL’s Tampere Gateway Terminal

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BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

The world’s first fully electric cargo plane “Alice”.

ground vehicles are already well-advanced. Today around a fifth of DHL’s delivery fleet is zero emission vehicles, with total green electricity across the whole company at 63%. In Finland, DHL Express is currently using electric vans in the Helsinki area and will double their number by the end of the year. Tampere and Turku will also receive their first e-vans before 2023.

“DHL’s environmental targets also include carbon neutral design to be used for all new buildings.

Our Tampere Gateway Terminal, operational since 2019, is a lighthouse example of this,” says Nuri.

The terminal in Tampere uses geothermal heat, solar energy,

advanced materials and a building automation system to improve energy efficiency. It also is ready for electric vehicles – both for operations and personnel.

DHL’s product portfolio of green products includes carbon offsetting solution, carbon compensation reporting and analysis, more sustainable transportation options and improving logistics efficiency with optimisation solutions.

“When you shop online, ship something for your business, or send a gift to a loved one, you can be assured that we are doing everything possible to make your parcel’s journey more sustainable,” says Nuri. |

Read more at www.dpdhl.com/en/sustainability/ environment.html

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

MORE THAN CARBON SAP believes that human rights is a core pillar of sustainability – and companies can profit by defending them. While much attention is paid to environmental sustainability, social sustainability is equally important. Sustainable businesses must prioritise people across the value chain – starting with diversity, equity and human rights in the workforce.

T

iina Antturi is not your typical business executive. She has a history in high-tech companies, but she was also CEO of the Finnish branch of World Vision, a humanitarian NGO. Such a background gives her a unique voice as SAP’s Head of Sustainability for the Nordics & Baltics.

“I got to see the fragility of life in the slums, in the dumps, in the aftermath of extreme climate events,” she says. “I learned that sustainability is not just about reducing carbon emissions. It’s about the planet, people, prosperity and governance. It’s about human rights.”

Antturi likes the portmanteau ECOnomics, meaning ecology and economics. Yes, a company can improve profits by doing good: for example, improving energy efficiency has the double-barrel benefit of lowering emissions and lowering costs.

SAP has a wealth of solutions to help enterprises improve all aspects of sustainability, like lowering greenhouse gas emissions, improving health and safety, reducing waste and designing circular products. They can give companies better tools for their sustainability reporting and provide consumers visibility and transparency of the goods they use. The key to almost all of this is data. Organisations have the data, but they need to correctly ana­ lyse it and use it to make good decision, which is SAP’s expertise.

Yet Antturi believes companies need to be more ambitious.

“To make the world a better place we need to have businesses involved,” she says. “It can’t just be consumers, NGOs and governments.”

She gives the campaign against disposable products as an example. Many people in poor areas rely on one-use disposable sachets for their personal hygiene products. These are cheaper and easier to store, but are terrible for the environment when they just end up in landfills.

“We have worked with customers to change their plastic packaging to recyclable or decomposable materials,” Antturi says. “Nine billion plastic tooth paste packages a year can be turned into decomposable ones. This is why corporations have the power to improve peoples’ lives.”

But why should companies care about such issues? Because a company is not a soulless entity, but a collection of people.

“People need to have a purpose, particularly young people,” Antturi says. “They will be leading our companies in the near future. I encourage them to see how the world looks, to visit the slums and the dumps of electronic waste, and to understand how they can use business to affect and influence things, to make the world a better place.” | Visit www.sap.com/finland to learn more.

PHOTO: STUDIO OMENA

TEXT: DAVID J. CORD

To make the world a better place we need to have businesses involved, says Tiina Antturi Head of Sustainability, Nordics and Baltics at SAP.

BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

9

SUSTAINABLE AI

Sustainable AI is sensible business

Artificial intelligence can boost profits, make customers happier and improve sustainability. But it can also have unintended consequences.

TEXT: DAVID J. CORD

“AI is a tool. It has neither responsibility nor ethics,” says Anna Metsäranta, Solita’s Head of Sustainable AI. “Organisations need to understand what they are doing with AI and to assess the impacts their algorithmic systems have.”

The goal is to create sustainable AI. “For us at Solita, sustainable AI refers to creating and using trustworthy AI systems that deliver long-term value to business, people and the environment,” Metsäranta says.

EU decision-makers are also thinking about this. The proposed EU AI Act aims to regulate AI systems that could cause significant harm to people in certain high-risk areas, such as

A company which has implemented sustainable AI practices has a significant advantage in recruiting the best people.”

– Anna Metsäranta, Head of Sustainable AI, Solita.

employment, education or critical infrastructure. The proposal takes a broad view of what is considered AI, not limiting the scope to machine learning. Metsäranta says some companies could find the software solutions they use will be regulated as AI systems, even if they don’t consider them as such.

Solita has conducted a study with 26 organisations about their sustainable AI views and activities. While many companies have devised ethical AI principles, almost no one has established practices to ensure AI is used sustainably.

“It isn’t just about appointing someone to be in charge of responsible AI,” Metsäranta explains. “Companies need to create organisational structures and a culture of making sure AI is developed and used responsibly. Principles must be put into practice.”

Interdisciplinary collaboration is key. AI can’t be left to only engineers and data scientists, but economics and human sciences must also be involved. For example, sociology, psychology and anthropology play vital roles in understanding the social impacts of AI systems.

Improving the sustainability of AI shouldn’t be viewed as yet another risk to be managed, yet another cost to be budgeted. In fact, sustainable AI can be a significant competitive advantage for companies.

“Many of the best talents in the field want their skills to be used for good,” Metsäranta says. “They don’t want to work for a company who uses AI unethically. A company which has implemented sustainable AI practices has a significant advantage in recruiting the best people.”

Investing in sustainable AI practices can also improve brand reputation and customer loyalty. Such practices aim to improve transparency and accountability, lower risks and reduce costs. Even investors increasingly ask what mechanisms a company has in place for sustainable AI before they are ready to invest.

“We need to start now,” Metsäranta emphasises. “If you are interested in learning more about how Solita can help you with sustainable AI, please get in touch.”

www.solita.fi

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BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

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SMART COMMERCE

“At Vaimo, everyone can be themselves and feel secure knowing that their peers and the company cares for them. It seems evident that when you enjoy something, you succeed with it,” says Annuli Perttunen (right), HR Manager at Vaimo Finland.

Transparency and Responsibility in Digital Commerce Buyers' expectations are changing. A growing number of buyers want to buy from brands that conduct themselves in a way that matches their values. Studies have shown that if a company acts in a non-transparent and irresponsible way, customers are likely to turn away from that company.

U

p until recently, the discussion around responsibility has primarily focused on environmental issues.

However, this is expanding. When it comes to online businesses, customers are paying attention to product manufacturing methods, supply chains, business models, and even the partners companies choose to work with.

Many payment providers have been under scrutiny when there have been concerns about their social responsibility and the economic sustainability of their payment methods.

Ecommerce companies need to look deeper into their own business, think further, and be more selective about their partners than ever before.

Vaimo’s mission is to drive success in digital commerce, and the way to do it is with transparency and openness. Clients have pointed out that the best thing about working with Vaimo has been open communication—getting straight answers quickly and always knowing the status of the project and the budget.

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Marko Rytkönen, Country Manager, Vaimo Finland.

Vaimo Finland's country manager Marko Rytkönen believes that behind client success is Vaimo's refined Client Success Program that relies on transparency and Vaimo’s focus on fulfilling their responsibility towards their employees.

Vaimo takes pride in having motivated em-

BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

ployees, passionate about their work and does not only measure clients' NPS but also employee (e)NPS score. And it undoubtedly correlates with client satisfaction—happy employees make happy clients.

“We strive to ensure that our people represent our company culture and values—open, teamwork, excellence, and fun. This also shows when we work with our clients,” Marko Rytkönen describes.

“At Vaimo, we encourage our employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance. We offer the tools for it, such as a hybrid working model and flexible working hours, as well as resources for self-development and obtaining personal skills that benefit in and outside of work,” says Annuli Perttunen, HR Manager at Vaimo Finland. “At Vaimo, everyone can be themselves and feel secure knowing that their peers and the company cares for them. It seems evident that when you enjoy something, you succeed with it.” | If you want to learn more, please visit vaimo.fi.

Only 10 minutes from the airport and 20 minutes from the Helsinki city centre.

JOYFUL TREASURE HUNTING – finish your Christmas shopping at Helsinki Outlet!

Helsinki Outlet aims to have the best brands, the best quality and the best service at the best location in Finland.

“Our selection is unique,” says Johanna Haltia, CEO of Helsinki

Outlet stores are a place to get great deals as they are stocked

Outlet. “Out of our 44 brands, a third are international, a third are

with items the companies want to get rid of, but Haltia points out

Nordic and a third are Finnish. You couldn’t find an assortment

another benefit of shopping at Helsinki Outlet.

like this even in London.”

“Our owner has said ‘we give premium quality clothes an-

Helsinki Outlet is an outdoor village with 15,000 square

other chance,’ and that is really true,” she says. “We want these

metres of stores, restaurants and children’s activity park right

clothes to be worn instead of being discarded. It is important to

on the border between Helsinki and Vantaa. Their stores are

reduce waste.”

stocked with merchandise the big brands are eager to sell, such

The Outlet only opened in 2019, but they are already planning

as seasonal items. They offer 30-70 per cent off the recom-

a 4,000 square metre expansion. They will celebrate a few new

mended retail price.

openings in October 2022.

“Hugo Boss, Gant, Levi’s and Tommy Hilfiger are a few of the

“The Finnish brand Makia, who create simple and functional

international brands we have,” Haltia continues. “Nordic brands

streetwear, are opening here soon,” says Haltia. “We have a new

include Tiger of Sweden, J. Lindeberg and Sand. Some of the

Italian restaurant opening as well. They are bringing an authen-

popular Finnish brands are Marimekko, Luhta and Balmuir. Hel-

tic oven from Naples!”

sinki Outlet also has a unique selection of premium outdoor brands such as Norrona, Haglöfs, Helly Hansen and Halti.”

Restaurants and coffee shops are only one way the Outlet gives guests an enjoyable experience. They also have HopLop on site, an indoor adventure park for kids. This makes the mall popular for entire families as well as the dedicated shopper looking to finish off his Christmas gift list.

Helsinki Outlet also offer an online store at helsinkioutlet.fi, which is still a rarity in the retail outlet industry. Currently about half of the brands participate in the online shop. The mall also offers a friends club with special offers and invitations, including for online shopping.

“I invite everyone to visit our village to see what we have to offer,” Haltia says. “Our stores are always getting in new garments, so you never know what you will discover. I wish you joyful treasure hunting!”

helsinkioutlet.fi BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

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Tunne tekee tyylin

Tyylikkäin vaate on se, joka saa sinut kantamaan itsesi ylpeydellä vuodesta toiseen. TEKSTI: MARI KORHONEN

S

uomalaisia intohimoisesti jo 65 vuoden ajan vaatettanut

panostaneet kestäviin ja ajattomiin tyyleihin, kierrätettyihin ja

joensuulaissyntyinen perheyritys Kekäle seisoo tukevasti

luonnonmateriaaleihin sekä asiakaspalveluun erityisen paljon.

henkilökohtaisen kivijalkapalvelun sekä laadukkaiden,

Materiaalit, istuvuudet, brändit ja mallit perinpohjaisesti tuntevan

aikaa ja kulutusta kestävien tuotteiden takana. Vuosikym-

henkilökuntamme avustuksella asiakas saa mukaansa vain vaat-

menten aikana Kekäleellä on opittu tuntemaan sekä suomalaisen pukeutumisen erityispiirteet että vaatteiden ostamisen sudenkuo-

teita, joita pidetään ja joista pidetään,” Kekäle lupaa.

Verkkokaupan kulta-aikana kivijalkakaupassa sovittelu voi

pat. Perheyritystä jo kolmannessa polvessa luotsaava toimitusjoh-

tuntua taakalta, mutta hetken ajallinen investointi maksaa itsensä

taja Joonas Kekäle kertoo, että asiakastutkimusten mukaan eniten

todennäköisesti moninkertaisesti takaisin.

päänvaivaa ja hutiostoksia suomalaisille kuluttajille aiheuttavat

”Ammattilaisen panos voi tuoda ostokselle jopa kymmenen

eri vaatekappaleiden yhdistäminen, työmatkapukeutuminen ja

vuotta käyttöikää lisää, Kekäle toteaa ja rohkaisee hyödyntämään

juhlavat tilaisuudet.

ammattitaitoa myyjän ammattitaitoa hutiostosten välttämiseksi.”

”Työmatkalaiset pohtivat, miten pärjätä eri tilanteissa ja sääolosuhteissa mahdollisimman vähäisellä tavaramäärällä, arjesta

Persoona esiin lempivaatteilla

poikkeavissa juhlallisuuksissa puolestaan mietityttää asun tarkoi-

Pidettyjen vaatehankintojen varmistamiseksi Kekäle tarjoaa

tuksenmukaisuus tilaisuuteen nähden. Epävarmuuden seuraukse-

asiakkailleen Lempivaatevalmentajan, joka ratkoo tyylipulmat,

na ihminen voi päätyä omistamaan ja raahaamaan mukanansa

varmistaa vaatteiden istuvuuden, opastaa huoltamaan tuotteita

hirvittävän määrän turhia vaatteita. Hätäpäissä tehdyille ostoksille

käyttöikää pidentävästi ja auttaa löytämään omalta tuntuvan

yleensä löydy käyttöä matkan jälkeenkään,” Kekäle kuvailee.

pukeutumistyylin.

Vaate kuin sijoitus

mukana. Asiakkaan näkökulmasta trendien seuraamisen sijaan

Kuluttajatutkimuksen mukaan keskimäärin vain noin 30 prosenttia

tärkeintä on, että vaatteessa on hyvä olla. Lempivaate on sel-

suomalaisten vaatekaapin sisällöstä on aktiivikäytössä. Loput 70

lainen, joka oikaisee vähän ryhtiä ja kohentaa itseluottamusta,”

prosenttia syövät tilaa, aikaa, rahaa, hermoja ja ympäristöä. Ke-

Kekäle kertoo hymyillen.

käleen tavoitteena on luoda suomalaisille vaatekaappeja, jossa jokainen vaate on aktiivisessa käytössä oleva lempivaate. Yhtiön

”Vaatekauppa huolehtii siitä, että valikoima on ajan hengessä

Kanta-asiakkaille maksuton Lempivaatevalmentaja-palvelu on otettu kiitellen vastaan.

toimintaa ohjaavan Pidetyimmät vaatteet -filosofian tavoitteena

”Palaute on ollut fantastisen hyvää. Lempivaatevalmentaja on

on pidentää vaatteiden elinkaarta ja siten vähentää niiden hiilija-

onnistunut yllättämään asiakkaamme poikkeuksetta positiivisesti.

lanjälkeä. Siksi Kekäleellä kannustetaan ostamaan vähemmän ja

Valmentajan opastuksella vaatekaappiansa päivittäneet asi-

pitämään enemmän.

akkaamme ovat kertoneet saaneensa jopa enemmän kuin ovat

”Haluamme edistää konkreettisin teoin vastuullista kuluttamista ja helpottaa suomalaisten pukeutumista, jonka vuoksi olemme

uskaltaneet toivoa, mikä ilahduttaa valtavasti, Kekäle päättää ja kiittää tuloksista sitoutunutta ja asiansa osaavaa henkilökuntaa.”

www.kekale.fi 14

BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

Lempitakki on takeista pidetyin Muhkeassa toppatakissa tuikeaan pakkaseen, säänkestävässä parkatakissa räntätuiskuun ja tyylikkäässä villakangastakissa työmatkalle. Löydä lempitakki jokaiseen tilanteeseen Kekäleeltä.

Helsinki Mall of Tripla • Joensuu • Jyväskylä • Kitee • Lahti • Lappeenranta • Mikkeli • Oulu • Raisio Mylly • Tampere Koskikeskus • Vantaa Jumbo

kekale.fi BUSINESS CLASS | HELSINKI-VANTAA EDITION | AUTUMN 2022

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PHOTO: www.markkupajunen.com

I’M HERE TO ENSURE YOUR M&A IS A SUCCESS.

LET’S TALK.

Petri Malmelin