Tokmanni Group’s new Moreeni logistics centre completed six months ahead of schedule – Moreeni will boost the efficiency of Tokmanni’s supply chain and enable continued growth
Tokmanni Press release 30 November 2023 at 6:05 p.m.
The Moreeni logistics centre, completed in Mäntsälä in Finland in November, is a very significant investment for the Tokmanni Group. It will help the company to modernise and streamline its logistics and supply chain.
Mr Tokmanni, who is famous for his TV commercials, now has a new place to stop off, at Moreenikatu in Mäntsälä in Finland, where the Tokmanni Group’s new logistics centre is now fully completed – on budget frame and about six months ahead of schedule. The new logistics centre will help the company streamline its logistics and supply chain.
The expansion of the Tokmanni Group’s store network and product range has tested the company’s logistics in recent years. The Moreeni logistics centre, completed in November, brings much-needed relief to the situation, as it has been planned to eliminate the need for the company to use external rental warehouses across southern Finland, which has been the case for a long time. At most, Tokmanni was using six external warehouses at one stage, but after this week the number will be reduced from two to just one.
“Our new Moreeni logistics centre is a very welcome addition, as it will support the operations of our administrative and logistics centre located next door and will significantly streamline our supply chain. For example, we will be able to optimise deliveries and avoid transfers between our warehouses, and early next year we will be able to stop using the last external warehouse,” says Timo Heimo, Vice President, Sales and Supply Chain at Tokmanni.
“Moreeni has also been designed to meet the future needs of our business, such as the expansion of our store network and product range,” he adds.
Moreeni has a huge 70,000 pallet locations. Tokmanni has been gradually filling them since mid-April, when the first section of the logistics centre was handed over to Tokmanni.
Much-needed space
Around 55,000. Around 75,000. Around 130,000. Around 160,000. The first figure refers to the new Moreeni logistics centre, the second to Tokmanni’s administration and logistics centre adjacent to Moreeni that has been located on Isolammintie in Mäntsälä since 2008, and the third to the combined gross square metres of these buildings. The last figure, around 160,000, is the number of pallet spaces in the buildings. Just over four out of ten of these can be found in the new Moreeni logistics centre.
“It can be difficult to grasp the size without a suitable point of comparison,” says Heimo, who has worked for Tokmanni since 2018.
“The Moreeni logistics centre alone offers space corresponding to almost three times the size of Parliament House, the main building of the Finnish Parliament in Helsinki, or around eight football pitches. If you include our administration and logistics centre, which is about 15 years old, you can compare our total amount of space to almost seven Parliament Houses or about 18 football pitches. So there really is a lot of space,” he says.
And when you have space, you want to use it. The first products from Tokmanni’s external rental warehouses were transferred to Moreeni in April this year, and unloading of the containers began in July. In addition, Moreeni started receiving loads imported from Europe in the autumn.
“Our current estimate is that our two logistics centres in Mäntsälä will receive around 13,000 truckloads of products per year,” Heimo says.
“We will start picking of products for delivery to our stores in Moreeni in March. It is estimated that after that around 60 per cent of deliveries to our stores will come from our new logistics centre. Such products include groceries and cleaning and personal care products. Our logistics centre on Isolammintie will continue to house our online store operations and to store seasonal products, for example,” he adds.
The Tokmanni Group is exploring the opportunities offered by automation to develop and improve the efficiency of its operations. The company is currently exploring different automation solutions and assessing their suitability.
Tokmanni’s administration and logistics centre in Mäntsälä (pictured in the foreground) and the new Moreeni logistics centre (pictured in the background) form an important administration and logistics complex of around 130,000 gross square metres for the company.
The right location for Tokmanni
The completion of the new Moreeni logistics centre will further centralise the Tokmanni Group’s logistics operations in Mäntsälä. According to Heimo, it suits the company perfectly.
“We have been very happy with Mäntsälä in many ways. The municipality is logistically very well located in relation to our store network in Finland, highway 4 and the Vuosaari Harbour. The Helsinki metropolitan area is also close enough for commuting, as are Lahti, Järvenpää, Porvoo, Hyvinkää and Riihimäki, for example,” says Heimo.
“In addition, now that we have two spacious, modern logistics centres practically next to each other, employees can move flexibly between different workstations if necessary,” he adds.
Tokmanni’s new Moreeni logistics centre has the same amount of space as almost three Parliament Houses or eight football pitches. Moreeni also employs smart energy solutions: for example, modern hybrid technology combining district heating and air-to-water heat pumps are used for heating.
A rapid and in many ways successful construction project
The construction project for Tokmanni Group’s Moreeni logistics centre started with its planning in 2021. Construction work started in February 2022. Construction progressed rapidly from the outset, and the building was finally completed in November this year, no less than six months ahead of schedule.
“Completing the Moreeni project ahead of schedule and on budget frame is an excellent achievement in today’s challenging environment,” says Harri Koponen. He is the Vice President responsible for Tokmanni’s store network and concept and has also been responsible for the Moreeni project at Tokmanni.
“We are pleased with the end result and that the project kept to the schedule and cost estimates. From A1 Arkkitehdit Oy, Jouni Saarinen, SAFA architect, was the principal and structural designer in the Moreeni project and Tuukka Rautavirta was the project architect. Fira Oy was the project management contractor and Henri Räikkönen from Rakennuttajatoimisto HTJ Oy was the Construction Consultant.”
Koponen would like to give special thanks to the municipality of Mäntsälä, which has in many ways helped and facilitated the implementation of the Moreeni investment in the Kapuli area of Mäntsälä.
The 55,000-square-metre Moreeni logistics centre in Kapuli, Mäntsälä, has employed an average of 100 construction workers in Mäntsälä throughout the construction period. Thus, on the construction site, the employment impact of construction of the Moreeni logistics building has been about 160 person-workyears. Moreeni’s employment impact is increased by work done outside the construction site, such as design and materials manufacturing work.
Tokmanni is preparing to sell the Moreeni logistics centre and lease it back under a long-term lease. The sale is expected to take place in December this year.
Moreeni has a lot to offer, including the largest rooftop solar power plant complex in Finland. With a capacity of as much as 1.7 MWp and around 4,000 solar panels, the power plant complex is estimated to produce around 1.4 GWh of renewable energy per year, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of around 700 small apartments (2,000 kWh/year). Photo: Solarigo Systems Oy
Focus on environmental impact and energy consumption
Considerable attention has been focused on environmental impact during the construction and operation of Tokmanni Group’s new logistics centre.
For example, the design and construction work complies with the ‘Very Good’ rating level of the BREEAM environmental certification criteria. The scope of certification covers the entire building, including the interior surfaces and outdoor areas. The BREEAM certification scheme assesses the environmental features of premises, buildings and sites, as well as responsible practices during construction.
“Modern hybrid technology combining district heating and air-to-water heat pumps are used in the heating of our new logistics centre. The heat production from the air-to-water heat pumps is estimated to be enough to cover about 70 per cent of our building’s annual heating needs,” says Koponen.
The largest roof-mounted solar power plant complex in Finland has also been installed in Moreeni. The solar power plant complex installed by Tokmanni's long-term partner, the Finnish company Solarigo Systems Oy, consists of two independent solar power plants and comprises around 4,000 solar panels. They are enough to cover an area the size of more than two football pitches on Moreeni’s roof. The 1.7 MWp solar power plant complex is designed to produce around 1.4 GWh of solar electricity per year. This amount of electricity would be enough to cover the annual electricity consumption of more than 700 small apartments (2,000 kWh/year). The solar power plant complex is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by 107.8 tonnes per year.
In addition to the self-generated solar electricity, all electricity purchased for Moreeni is zero-emission electricity.
At Moreeni, a lot of effort has been put into making the workplace run smoothly. This is done, for example, by using efficient LED lighting and with modern tools, such as shiny new forklift trucks.
Pleasant premises and modern tools for discount retail professionals
Tokmanni employees value pleasant working conditions and efficient, fit-for-purpose tools. According to Heimo, these factors will also be focused on at the Moreeni logistics centre.
“At Moreeni, in addition to brand new work and break areas, Tokmanni also offers modern shelving solutions and electric forklifts supplied by Toyota. The guidance system for trucks arriving at Moreeni will also make daily work smoother. The system provides the truck driver with information on the correct door straight to the cab so drivers don’t have to stop at the freight office to ask for directions,” says Heimo.
“A small but very significant matter is Moreeni’s floor. It’s exactly what a great floor in a warehouse should be: quiet, smooth and unobtrusive in every way,” he adds.
Moreeni also has a modern staff restaurant equipped with large windows and adjacent outdoor terrace, which is around ten metres from the ground, which is another thing that makes everyday life much smoother and more pleasant. The restaurant is expected to open for its first lunch in March next year.
Once Moreeni is in full use, Tokmanni’s administrative and logistics hub in Mäntsälä will employ from 400 to 500 logistics employees, depending on the season, which is an increase of around 100 people from the current number. Even now, dozens of employees are hard at work at Moreeni. Tokmanni currently employs around 600 people in total in Mäntsälä. They include professionals in areas such as logistics, sourcing, finance, marketing and IT.
TOKMANNI
For further information, please contact:
Harri Koponen
Vice President, Store Network and Concept
Tel. +358 20 728 6030
harri.koponen(at)tokmanni.fi
Timo Heimo
Vice President, Sales and Supply Chain
Tel. +358 20 728 6051
timo.heimo(at)tokmanni.fi
Maarit Mikkonen
Head of IR and Communications
Tel. +358 40 562 2282
maarit.mikkonen(at)tokmanni.fi
Calls to a corporate number beginning with +358 20 7 from a landline or a mobile phone are EUR 0.0835 per minute + EUR 0.1669 per minute (incl. VAT 24%). Calls from outside Finland are subject to an international call charge.
Tokmanni Group Corporation is one of the leading variety discount retailers in the Nordics. Around 5,400 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 360 Tokmanni, Dollarstore, Big Dollar, Miny, Click Shoes and Shoe House stores and online stores, the Group is always close to its customers. In 2022, Tokmanni Group Corporation's revenue was EUR 1,168 million and comparable EBIT amounted to EUR 86 million. The Group's shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
