Finland's largest supplier of retail solutions sets its sights on Sweden

Puume, Finland's leading supplier of solutions for retail premises, is expanding to other Nordic countries. Puume is starting its conquest in Sweden, the largest market in the Nordic countries. The company has invited Bo Holmlind, who is a key figure in the field, to be its CEO and Knut Moberg to serve as its sales and project chief.

Puume opened a new office in Gothenburg in May. Thanks to its Swedish contacts, which have already been established for many years, the company has found two key persons who have long been influential figures in Sweden's retail market, giving the company a strong start in Scandinavia.
Bo Holmlind has already started as the CEO of Puume Sweden. His task is to set up the organisation of the new company and to initiate sales in the Swedish market. In addition, as Director of Sales he will be responsible for the sales of the entire group in all countries. Holmlind has more than 20 years of experience in the retail trade as a CEO and sales director. He has been responsible for customer relations involving numerous international and Swedish major brands.
To serve as sales and project chief the company has found Knut Moberg who, like Holmlind, has extensive experience in the field. Moberg has been responsible for the demanding global implementation of the business concepts of many large international brands and has also worked with concept development.

"Gothenburg is a good springboard for our operations and our expansion to the other Nordic countries. The area has good connections with the entire country and with the rest of Scandinavia. In addition, many internationally well-known brands operate here", says Puume Sweden's CEO Bo Holmlind.
Puume has undergone powerful growth in recent years in Finland and has also expanded into Estonia.
"We have many customers who operate with us outside of Finland as well, and demand for our services is constantly growing in the other Nordic countries. It is safe to expand with us and become a Nordic player. Sweden has a strong retail market that is double the size of that of Finland. The country also has powerful domestic players in the retail trade and the Swedes are among the nations with the greatest buying power in all of Europe", says Juha Porrassalmi, CEO of the Puume Group.

At present Puume serves customers that are already operating in Sweden. Naturally the goal is to get a share of the local market as well.

The company is planning additional recruitment in Sweden in order to shore up its activities. Also supporting the expansion are the extensive resources that the group has in Finland.
“Puume has taken the total deliveries one degree further with electrical installation work and by increasing knowledge and skills within the company. I see great synergy benefits between operations in Finland and Sweden. Another goal we have is to serve in Sweden under the one-stop partner principle – offering a comprehensive service all the way from the technical planning of a concept to the evening before the opening of a store", Holmlind says.

Holmlind sees a need for brick-and-mortar retail shops, even in light of pressure from online sales: "Shops will not go anywhere, but the sector needs to work harder to attract consumers to the premises. Instead of traditional shops, we need to focus on creating environments where people want to come to enjoy themselves and to socialise.”

Puume studies, teaches and develops ways in which a traditional brick-and-mortar store and online retailing could communicate better with each other. “The importance of shops and shop-in-shop implementations – as well as that of quality and innovation – will grow, and the importance of a physical experience is increasingly important for consumers. In the future, people will be seeking thrills and experiences specifically from brick-and-mortar shops", Holmlind points out.

Contact:
T: 0035 8409 007101
Email: juha.porrassalmi@puume.fi
Website: www.puume.fi