Good daily business Halpa-Halli wants to be near the customers
jan sandvik
The Halpa-Halli department-store chain continues to grow both online and in the number of stores it has; four new stores were opened in 2013. After this latest strategic investment, the chain now consists of 39 stores. “In rural centres we are seen as the number one point of purchase. However, ecommerce is now a fast-growing challenger in these areas too”, says CEO Janne Ylinen. In 2013, Halpa-Halli began to refocus on e-commerce under the brand name HHSport. This development is in line with the current trend in purchasing habits, where online shopping is seen as a natural accompaniment to traditional stores. HH-Sport is a specialty-store chain, whose product range is geared towards hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. This new venture is expected to reach a target group of some 400 000 customers in Finland. Back in the year 2000, Halpa-Halli was one of the very first Finnish compa-
78 coastline 2014–2015
“Our name HalpaHalli which directly translated means “Cheap-Hall” obliges us to maintain low prices. In this respect we succeed, in part due to us handling our own sourcing”, Juha Hakala and Janne Ylinen explain.
nies with an e-commerce presence. The online store HHnet.fi had opened and was offering a large store selection, the only exception being groceries. Unfortunately, the online store had to be shelved after a few years since the payment processing and delivery costs at the time were eating away all the profit. “We made some mistakes and gained a lot of valuable experience. One error of judgement was to target customers who did not have a Halpa-Halli store in their hometown. We have now learnt that customers use our stores in tandem with our online store”, says Janne Ylinen. Halpa-Halli now bases its new ecommerce investment on thorough market analysis. “We have studied the purchasing habits of customers, the competition and the technical solutions available. The goal now is to become the market leader in hunting weapons and equipment. Soon we will
expand our range by adding fishing gear”, says Marketing Manager Juha Hakala. The local connection is still important to Halpa-Halli. “We are a family business with distinct values and we take strong responsibility for our staff. The loyalty and trust of our customers is built upon us running things well, and explaining the reasoning behind our decisions. For example, we do not stock certain goods like alcohol and tobacco. We think trust is better than a plastic membership card”, Janne Ylinen states. c
halpa-halli www.hhnet.fi Business sector: Retail business Turnover 2013: €260 million Employees: 1,400 Stores: 39
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