“Shoes will find buyers when price and quality are aligned” – Tokmanni is focusing on footwear: it has expanded the Click Shoes assortment in its stores and Shoe House will move to a bigger store
Tokmanni Press release 13 October 2024 at 1:45 p.m.
Numerous products familiar from the assortments of the Click Shoes and Shoe House store chains are also available in Tokmanni’s online store and in around 140 Tokmanni stores across Finland. The shoe store chains have been part of the Tokmanni Group since the spring of 2023.
Tokmanni Group is again consolidating its position at the forefront of the Finnish shoe retail market. The company recently opened 13 new Click Shoes shop-in-shop departments in its Tokmanni stores across Finland. In addition, Shoe House, the shoe chain that joined Tokmanni Group last year with Click Shoes, will move to new premises in the Jumbo-Flamingo entertainment and shopping centre in Vantaa that are almost 50 per cent larger than the current premises. There is a need to expand the assortment, as everyday fashion is popular in Finland and the demand for footwear has been a welcome development in the Tokmanni Group. The footwear trends this summer focus on fabric and colours, lightweight design and “a couple of big names”.
Click Shoes shop-in-shop departments have recently been added to Tokmanni stores in Aura, Kemijärvi, Kuhmo, the RealPark shopping centre in Lempäälä, Loviisa, Outokumpu, Pudasjärvi and Rauma, and Toppila and Kaakkuri in Oulu, and Hervanta, the Koskikeskus shopping centre and Tesoma in Tampere.
In addition, Tokmanni Group’s Shoe House store in the Jumbo-Flamingo entertainment and shopping centre in Vantaa will move to new premises that are almost 50 per cent larger than the current premises. The current store, which has been serving customers in the so-called original part of the entertainment and shopping centre near Tasetie for several years, will close in mid-July. The new Shoe House store, located on the second floor and on the Kehä III ring road side of the entertainment and shopping centre, will open at the end of August. The new store will have around 500 square metres of space.
Shoes from the Click Shoes’ footwear assortment are already sold in shop-in-shop departments in around 140 Tokmanni stores. In addition, Tokmanni Group already has 31 Click Shoes stores and two Shoe House stores. These shoes are also sold in Tokmanni’s and Click Shoes’ online stores. In addition to the shoes in the Click Shoes’ shop-in-shop departments, Tokmanni has already been selling its own basic range of footwear in most of its stores.
The size of the store network is remarkable, as the Tokmanni variety discount retailer has long been one of the top clothing retailers* in Finland and Click Shoes has already been the largest shoe retail chain in Finland before it joined Tokmanni.
“Finns clearly want to buy footwear, not only from shoe shops like Click Shoes and Shoe House, but also conveniently from Tokmanni while they are doing their other shopping. We will continue to sell shoes and invest in our store network with great confidence,” Tommi Lehtinen says.
He should know, as he is the founder of the Click Shoes and Shoe House chains acquired by the Tokmanni Group in the spring of 2023, and currently heads Tokmanni’s shoe business.
Wide range of footwear
Tokmanni’s Click Shoes shop-in-shops offer dozens of different types of footwear, and Click Shoes’ and Shoe House’s own stores offer hundreds of different shoes.
The basic principle is that especially the most popular models in Click Shoes’ extensive assortment of footwear are also sold in Tokmanni’s online store and selected brick-and-mortar stores. This summer, for example, the walking and summer shoes, ankle boots and tennis shoes of the 2Moons private label, originally launched by Click Shoes, will also be sold by Tokmanni. The assortment will also include footwear from a number of internationally renowned brands, from Converse to Pegada and Skechers to Bugatti.
“Consumers all over Finland are interested in practical and stylish clothing. Whether it’s shoes for casual summer parties, more formal outfits for special occasions or work, or even daily walks, consumers want to be able to find the footwear they like also in smaller towns and cities,” says Lehtinen.
“In terms of our customers’ wishes and of course our sales figures, it is clear that there is a real demand for Tokmanni’s and Click Shoes’ method of selling footwear online as well as in physical stores. Shoes will always find buyers when their price and quality are aligned,” he says.
Tokmanni opened the first Click Shoes shop-in-shop departments in selected Tokmanni stores last year. Customers like to buy footwear not only from shoe stores like Click Shoes and Shoe House, but also easily from Tokmanni when making other purchases, says Tommi Lehtinen. He is the founder of the shoe store chains Click Shoes and Shoe House acquired by the Tokmanni Group in the spring of 2023, and currently heads Tokmanni’s shoe business.
Focus on developing footwear sales
According to Lehtinen, Tokmanni, Click Shoes and Shoe House – and thus the entire Tokmanni Group – have an excellent opportunity to further increase their footwear sales and market share in the clothing product category.
“Purchasing volumes also play an important role in the footwear market. By expanding our sales channels and our footwear range, we can increase our sourcing volumes. This not only helps us in price negotiations with our existing suppliers, but also makes us an increasingly attractive partner for new brands,” he says.
The growth also offers an opportunity to develop footwear and collections such as 2Moons, one of the Tokmanni Group’s private labels.
“Our aim is to offer our customers shoes that are increasingly better value for money and an increasingly better fit for Finnish feet. We actually have our own in-house team of footwear professionals who is doing this,” says Lehtinen.
Summer trends focus on fabric and colour, lightweight shoes and “a couple of big names”
Tokmanni and Click Shoes, which are among the most important shoe sellers in Finland, know exactly what kind of footwear is popular in Finland.
“Fabric and lightweight shoes will be in high demand this summer. Our best-selling shoes during spring and early summer have been fabric loafers and espadrilles, for example. The popularity of various barefoot shoes has also been growing strongly,” Lehtinen says.
Footwear is seen as an increasingly important aspect of clothing and self-expression. In the past, many people were wary about white and other very light-coloured footwear, in particular, but the situation is often different now.
“Although black and many dark colours are sure favourites throughout the year, a wide range of colourful and light shades from pink to white and nude also sell well, especially in the summer,” says Lehtinen.
“People do not worry about getting their shoes dirty like they used to. There are many good tricks for cleaning and maintaining footwear. Footwear care products are also becoming increasingly sophisticated,” he adds.
According to Lehtinen, in terms of individual brands, “a couple of big names” are leading the pack right now.
“The popularity of US-brands Skechers and Converse is very evident on the street and on social media, as well as in our sales ledger. Converse footwear is certainly familiar to almost everyone, and Skechers, known for its comfort, has also been rapidly growing in popularity for some time now.”
In addition, in the assortment of Tokmanni Group’s own shoe brand, 2Moons, the most popular model has been women's stretch sneakers (shown in the photo below).
Tokmanni’s customers have responded very positively to Click Shoes’ shop-in-shop departments and their selections. The shop-in-shop departments of the Click Shoes shoe chain, acquired by the Tokmanni Group last year, offer a wide assortment of products that customers have been hoping for, especially in those locations that do not yet have a Click Shoes store.
* Jaana Kurjenoja (2024): The Finnish Commerce Federation’s study Muotikauppa ultrapikamuodin aikakaudella, kuluttajamarkkinat ja kuluttajan ostopolku (Fashion Retailing in the Age of Ultra-Fast Fashion, Consumer Market and Consumer Purchase Path), excerpts from the results, 22 June 2024. [in Finnish] Federation of Finnish Commerce.
kauppa.fi/uutishuone/2024/05/22/marketmuodin-suosio-nayttaisi-toistaiseksi-patoavan-kiinalaisen-ultrapikamuodin-vyorya
kauppa.fi/lataa/633165
Jaana Kurjenoja (2021): Muotikauppa koronan jälkeen. (Fashion trade after the pandemic), excerpts from the results from parts I and II, 12 October 2021. [In Finnish] Federation of Finnish Commerce.
kauppa.fi/uutishuone/2021/10/12/muotikauppa-koronan-jalkeen-miten-ala-toipuu-koronan-iskusta
kauppa.fi/lataa/26232
TOKMANNI
For further information, please contact:
Tommi Lehtinen
Director, Shoe Business
Tokmanni
Tel. +358 500 833 103
tommi.lehtinen(at)clickshoes.fi
Maarit Mikkonen
Head of IR and Communications
Tokmanni
puh. +358 40 562 22822
maarit.mikkonen(at)tokmanni.fi
Click Shoes is a Finnish shoe store chain founded in 2001. As a result of acquisitions carried out in 2023, Click Shoes is now part of the Tokmanni Group.
Tokmanni Group Corporation is one of the leading variety discount retailers in the Nordics. More than 6,000 employees in Finland, Sweden and Denmark make customers’ everyday life and special occasions easier by offering a versatile and up-to-date assortment of nordic and international brand-name products and other high-quality products at prices that are always affordable. With more than 370 Tokmanni, Dollarstore, Big Dollar, Miny, Click Shoes and Shoe House stores and online stores, the Group is always close to its customers. In 2023, the Group's revenue was EUR 1,393 million and comparable EBIT amounted to EUR 99 million. The Tokmanni Group Corporation's shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
