Wines at an Alko store. Photo: Vesa Moilanen / Lehtikuva
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State alcohol monopoly Alko will shut nine stores across Finland this autumn, including its two smallest outlets in central Helsinki.
The first closure will be the 25-square-metre Alko in the Old Market Hall by Helsinki’s harbour. Known as Finland’s smallest branch, it will close on 23 August. The 68-square-metre outlet on Mannerheimintie, the capital’s second smallest, will follow on 20 September.
Other shops scheduled to close include outlets in Vaalimaa, Kouvola Valkeala, Turku Kauppahalli, Jyväskylä Minimani, Kuopio Matkus Shopping Centre, Alavus Tuuri, and Kemiönsaari Taalintehdas, the latter shutting on 27 September.
Alko said the move was part of “normal network planning.” The company cited alcohol tax increases, a change in alcohol law, economic pressures and shifts in customer flows as factors affecting its sales. “We review the need for store locations regularly on the basis of demand and customer traffic,” said Alko’s business director Kari Pennanen in a statement.
Once the closures are complete, the title of Finland’s smallest Alko will pass to the branch in Porvoo’s Old Town, which measures about 33 square metres.
Alko has previously reduced its presence in the Helsinki area, closing the Tukkutori branch near the Redi shopping centre in 2023. Plans to open a store in Vallila’s former railway works were abandoned, though a new outlet was opened in Katajanokka in 2022.
The latest cuts mean fewer Alko shops for customers in both cities and rural areas. The monopoly continues to manage the only legal retail sale of strong alcoholic beverages in Finland.
The closure of Finland’s smallest Alko was first reported by Helsingin Uutiset.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
