Fazer continues to grow and acquires Keisari artisanal bakery in Finland
Fazer Group continues executing its growth strategy by acquiring the Keisari artisanal bakery in Finland. With the acquisition, Fazer will triple the number of its artisanal bakery shops in the capital area from 5 to 15.
‘Broadening our offering is an integral part of Fazer’s growth strategy. It is by understanding our consumers that Fazer can develop. Artisanal bread is a strong new worldwide trend. The concepts of Fazer Bakery Shop and Keisari complement each other well and form a good basis for further development and future growth. With this acquisition, Fazer gains market leadership in artisanal baking in the capital area,’ says Christoph Vitzthum, President and CEO of the Fazer Group.
Fazer entered the artisanal bakery business by acquiring the Gateau chain in Sweden in 2011. The business has successfully grown from 12 to 32 shops. The first bakery shop in Finland was opened in Helsinki in 2013. At the moment, Fazer has five bakery shops in the Helsinki area. Keisari’s 10 established locations complement them geographically very well. Together, the Fazer Bakery Shop and Keisari locations form a wide, centrally located and comprehensive network which can serve consumers all over the capital area.
Growing demand for delicious hand-made bread
Artisanal bread is a strong consumer trend worldwide. Fazer’s bakery shops in Finland and Sweden inspire consumers with high-quality, hand-baked, fresh artisanal bread, pastries and other delicacies. People are fascinated by the variety of tastes, attractive scents and appealing looks.
‘With Fazer’s and Keisari’s high-quality products, we can offer consumers an even broader assortment in our own shops. We see great potential in artisanal bread and, therefore, we have chosen to manage it as a separate business unit which will include the Gateau chain in Sweden and Fazer Bakery Shops and Keisari in Finland. Our objective is to double the net sales of our bakery shop business by 2021’, says Petri Kujala, Managing Director of Fazer Bakery.
Leipomo Keisari is a private enterprise located in Helsinki, founded in 1990. Its artisanal, high-quality products are sold directly to consumers in their own shops, and also to retail, restaurants and cafés. Keisari’s ten bakery shops are located in Helsinki: in Ruoholahti, Töölöntori, Ullanlinna, Kruununhaka and Sörnäinen as well as in shopping malls in the areas of Kamppi, Lippulaiva, Grani, Iso Omena and Citycenter. The bakery is located in Sörnäinen, Helsinki.
‘We are pleased to sell to a respectable family company like Fazer. Our skilled personnel and the quality of our bread and pastries are our strengths. Fazer will also enable continued growth,ʼ says Keisari’s Managing Director Tatjana Aminoff, who will be heading Fazer’s artisanal bakery business in Finland.
The Fazer Bakery Shop Business Unit focuses on artisanal baking, pastries, cakes and other delicacies. Before the acquisition, it had 32 Gateau-branded shops in Stockholm, Lund and Helsingborg in Sweden and five Fazer Bakery Shops in Helsinki, Finland. Fazer employs approximately 230 people in its bakery shop business, of them 75 in Finland. Additionally, Keisari’s employees, some 75 in number, will move to Fazer.
Fazer’s other bakery unit in Finland is the Fazer Bakery Finland Business Unit. It has four big bakeries in Finland in Vantaa, Lahti, Lappeenranta and Oulu, and 43 in-store bakeries in hypermarkets throughout Finland. Among consumers’ favorite products are the Fazer Puikula rye bread, Fazer Juuresleipä (root vegetable bread), Fazer Alku porridges, Oululainen Reissumies rye bread and Oululainen Jälkiuuni rye bread. The Fazer Bakery Finland Business Unit employs approximately 1,500 people.
Pictures: www.fazergroup.com/pictures, ”media_press”, ”Fazer Bakery Shop”
Additional information:
Petri Kujala, Managing Director, Fazer Bakery tel.: +358 400 767 767
Leena Majamäki, VP Communications, Fazer Group, tel.: +358 40 585 1585
Emails are in the form firstname.lastname@fazer.com
Fazer Group
Fazer is an international family-owned company offering quality bakery, confectionery, biscuit and grain products as well as food and café services. Fazer operates in eight countries and exports to around 40 countries. Fazer’s mission is to create taste sensations. Fazer’s success, ever since its establishment in 1891, has been based on the best product and service quality, beloved brands, the passion of its skilful people and the Group’s responsible ways of working. This year marks Fazer’s 125th anniversary and 150 years from the birth of Karl Fazer, the founder of this successful Group. In 2015, Fazer Group had net sales of more than 1.5 billion euros and nearly 15,000 employees. Fazer’s operations comply with ethical principles that are based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact.
Makes the world taste good
