Cheap and proud of it

Tokmanni, with its 200 stores and the red buckets, is part of Finnish popular culture. “We are a low-cost store and proud of it,” says Veli-Pekka Ääri, Marketing and Communications Director of Tokmanni. “Mister Tokmanni of our advertisements is an international negotiator who travels worldwide looking for bargain products for Finns.”

Tokmanni’s head office and central warehouse are located in the municipality of Mäntsälä, in the middle of Southern Finland’s growth triangle. “This is the best region for hybrid work now after the pandemic. Most of our head office employees do not live in Mäntsälä. Commuting works well with public transportation or by car – and usually against the traffic flow. It is also easy to travel from here, as our job includes moving between our two hundred stores.

Tokmanni is currently expanding its premises in Mäntsälä. The collaboration between the municipality and Tokmanni has always been close and well-functioning. “The relationship only deepens when more goods are brought to the new construction site. When we invest more, you can tell that the company is committed to collaboration. At the same time, when we are one of the key companies in the municipality, personal relations work better than somewhere in the capital region, where we would be one of the thousands.

Secretly responsible

Trade is logistics, i.e., a way to bring the customer and the goods together. “The warehouses are important to Tokmanni’s competitive strategy because we want to keep the logistics in our hands. The most straightforward and cost-effective transport, storage and management of production chains are needed in the shop’s backyard. The role of Mäntsälä and the logistics centre is dominant to our performance. Emissions are lower, and the price of the products is also lower, which is vital for a discount store.

Many people do not know that Tokmanni is secretly environmentally responsible. The general belief is that cheap cannot be ecological. However, we take care that the origin of the products is known. Discount stores strive for environmental and operational efficiency as we can better stick to the lower price and large quantities. Affordability is always in fashion. It suits the rational Finnish consumer if you can get the same product for less.”