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Lively shopping center construction continues in Finland   

13/01/2012

Shopping center construction is continuing at a lively pace in Finland with an average of four new shopping centers being built in the country over the next few years. Many existing shopping centers will also be expanded and renovated, including Helsinki's City-Center and Forum shopping centers. 

“The average size of the shopping centers has been increasing all the time. Increasingly, they also include different kinds of services. Shopping centers are no longer just places for shopping; they have also become places where people meet and spend their leisure time,” says Juha Tiuraniemi, chairman of the Finnish Council of Shopping Centers.

Three of the shopping centers that will be completed this year will be among the biggest in the country. Kuopio's new Ikea store and shopping centre will be the fourth largest in the country. New shopping centres in Kouvola and Hyvinkää will also be in the top ten. According to new legislation, shopping centers should now be primarily located in the city centers rather than on the outskirts of urban areas, which has been the trend in Finland in recent years.

Finnish Council of Shopping Centers is an industry association bringing together the most prominent players in the Finnish shopping center industry, including retailers, shopping center owners, managers and consultants.

Source: Verkkouutiset