Stockmann

Stockmann () is a Finnish listed company which was established in 1862 and is engaged in the retail trade. Stockmann's three divisions are the department store division, Hobby Hall, which specialises in mail order and online sales, and Seppälä, a chain of fashion stores. Stockmann also used to sell cars through Stockmann Auto, but due to new EU directives concerning the sale of cars Stockmann announced in early 2006 that it would split up the car division and sell it to three other car vendors. Stockmann operates in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia.

History

. It is the largest department store in the Nordic countries.]] Stockmann was established by Georg Franz Stockmann, a German merchant from Lübeck. In 1859 Stockmann became the manager of a store in Helsinki's Senate Square. In 1862, G.F. Stockmann took control of the store and Stockmann was officially established. In 1902 the company became G.F. Stockmann Aktiebolag. The shareholders were Stockmann and his two sons, Karl and Frans. In 1930 the building which houses the current headquarters of the department store was finished, complete with revolving doors, a soda fountain and escalators. Stockmann also bought a book store, Akateeminen kirjakauppa (), in the same year. The first television transmission in Finland was broadcast from the department store in 1950. In the same decade Stockmann opened a new department store in Tampere. In 1982 Stockmann opened a department store in Turku. In 1986 the first "hullut päivät" or "crazy days" sales were held. The sales proved extremely popular and became a biannual event. The first Stockmann stores in Moscow opened in 1989, but the first full-size department store was opened in 1998. In 2003 the first department store was opened in Riga.

Department store division

.]] branch of Stockmann.]]Stockmann owns seven department stores and academic bookstores and several Zara and Stockmann beauty stores in Finland. Stockmann's department store in the centre of Helsinki is the largest in the Nordic countries. Stockmann has department stores in Helsinki, Tampere, Espoo (Tapiola), Turku, Vantaa (Jumbo) and Oulu in Finland and has expanded abroad to Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Moscow and St. Petersburg (Russia). In Russia there are also seven Zara stores and three Bestseller stores and an outlet store in Moscow, and two speciality stores and some bestseller store in St. Petersburg.

In October 2008 Stockmann also bought the Swedish clothing retailer Lindex with 331 outlets in the Nordic region and the Baltic republics. Stockmann now plans to expand the brand into the Russian market.

Hobby Hall

Hobby Hall is Finland's largest mail order sales company and an online store. There are 2 stores in Finland - in Helsinki and Vantaa. Hobby Hall is Estonia's largest mail order sales company, with a store in Tallinn. It is also the largest mail order sales company in Latvia. Hobby Hall also operates in Russia.

Seppälä

Seppälä is Finland and Estonia's largest chain of fashion stores, with over 120 stores in Finland and 14 stores in Estonia. There are also several Seppälä stores in Russia, Latvia and Lithuania.

References

External links

Stockmann

Category:Companies based in Helsinki Category:Companies listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange Category:Companies established in 1862 Category:Department stores of Finland