The opening celebration will be held for the new Marimekko store in a prominent location in Helsinki city centre,on the corner of Keskuskatu and Aleksanterinkatu.The light,high-ceiling interior in an attractive old masonry building provides an excellent setting for impressive displays of products.The two-storey store has 180 square metres of space and it differs from all other Marimekko stores with its fashion-focused range.The range includes clothing,bags and accessories.
"Helsinki city centre is a very important area for Marimekko in terms of sales.I am glad that we now have our own little'Marimekko house'on what is probably Helsinki's busiest street corner.The locations of our stores are always carefully considered,and we are prepared when necessary to spend a long time looking for suitable retail premises.Particularly in this store's case,we can say that the wait was worth it as the central location makes it one of Helsinki's most sought-after spots,"says Sales Director Päivi Lonka.
Although the main investments in expanding the Marimekko store network in recent years have been made in the international market,the network has also been extended and updated in Finland,which is a significant market for Marimekko.In accordance with the company's domestic distribution strategy,the stores in city centres important to Marimekko and in large shopping malls in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area are mostly company-owned.Marimekko currently has three stores of its own in Helsinki city centre.In 2011,five new Marimekko stores were opened in Finland;the total for this year is seven.
"The new store in Helsinki was opened for the public last week and it has already received a great deal of positive feedback.It looks as if our strong colours and patterns are a pick-me-up for many people,particularly as winter begins and the evenings are drawing in.Our Helsinki flagship store,which was refurbished last year,has gained unprecedented popularity both with Finns and with our international customers.We are expecting this new fashion store to be a success story like our flagship store,"Lonka continues.
