Finnish retailer S Group has announced that it has renovated around 300 stores to an even higher-quality, customer-oriented and energy-efficient format.
The retailer is renovating its entire network of around 400 stores and plans to upgrade most outlets by the end of this year.
The project commenced in early 2020 and continued amid the pandemic.
The refurbished stores feature a new look with a focus on local demands and everyday luxury items.
The new elements in S-Markets include a salad bar, a juicer for fresh juices, sushi kiosks with fresh sushi from Itsudemon or Sushi Daily, Beijing8 dumplings, Fazer's flour bakery or tapas or ready-to-bake pizzas.
'Much-Needed Innovations'
Sampo Päällysaho, S Group's director of grocery, said, "We have listened to customers and brought each store the much-needed innovations in that area. Last year, almost €200 million was invested in S-markets.
"We are pleased that, even through store renovations, we are able to create jobs locally and maintain services throughout Finland even in financially challenging times."
The first cooperative to have all its S-markets renovated was the South Karelia cooperative, the retailer said.
HOK-Elanto, which operates in the Helsinki metropolitan area, has the largest number of S-market stores.
HOK-Elanto has already renovated half of its 60 existing stores and is opening new S-markets in the Helsinki metropolitan area, including the S-market Pukinmäki in the Finnish capital in mid-April.
Energy Efficient Stores
The renovated stores are energy efficient equipped with proper refrigerator doors, LED lights and heating systems that use energy from refrigeration equipment.
The retailer has reduced its energy consumption by 15% since 2015 and claims to be the largest producer of solar energy in Finland, with more than 70 000 solar panels at its sites.
The grocery chain has pledged to reduce emissions by 90% from 2015 levels by the end of 2030 and aims to make its operations 'carbon negative' by 2025, which means that it will sequester more carbon in the air than it produces.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
