Kesko in brief

Kesko is the leading provider of trading sector services and a highly valued listed company. It operates in the food, home and speciality goods, building and home improvement, and car and machinery trades. Kesko has about 2,000 stores engaged in chain operations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and Belarus.

Our core competence areas

Development and management of store concepts and brands
Development, ownership and management of the store network
Efficient purchasing and logistics
International retail expertise
Combining retailer entrepreneurship and chain operations efficiently
Leveraging centralised resources and economies of scale

Kesko's divisions

Food trade

Kesko Food is the leading operator in the Finnish grocery trade. K-retailers, with whom Kesko Food applies the chain business model, are responsible for customer satisfaction at the more than 1,000 K-food stores. Kesko Food manages the K-food store chains, which are K-citymarket, K-supermarket, K-market and K-extra.

Kesko Food's main functions include the centralised purchasing of products, selection management, logistics, and the development of chain concepts and the store network. Chain operations ensure the efficiency and competitiveness of business.

Kesko Food’s subsidiary Kespro is the leading wholesaler in the Finnish HoReCa business. It offers the best sourcing solutions in the sector for its customers.

Home and speciality goods trade

The home and speciality goods trade comprises Anttila and Kodin Ykkönen, K-citymarket's home and speciality goods, Intersport Finland, Indoor's Asko and Sotka, Musta Pörssi and Kenkäkesko. The total number of home and speciality goods stores is 427, which operate in 13 chains. 190 of the stores are owned by Kesko.

Building and home improvement trade

Rautakesko is an international service provider which retails building, renovation and home improvement supplies in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus. Rautakesko manages and develops the K-rauta, Rautia, K-maatalous, Byggmakker, Senukai and OMA retail chains and B2B sales in its operating area. Rautakesko's main functions include the centralised development of chain selections, centralised purchasing and logistics, and the development of chain concepts and the store network.

There are 331 building and home improvement stores in eight countries and 88 agricultural stores in Finland. All stores in Finland are owned by retailer entrepreneurs. There are also 96 retailer-owned stores in Norway.

Car and machinery trade

The car and machinery trade segment consists of VV-Auto and Konekesko with their subsidiaries.

VV-Auto imports and markets Volkswagen, Audi and Seat passenger cars, and Volkswagen commercial vehicles in Finland, and it also imports and markets Seat passenger cars in Estonia and Latvia. VV-Auto is also engaged in car retailing and provides after-sales services at its own outlets in the Greater Helsinki area and Turku.

Konekesko is a service company specialising in the import, marketing and after-sales services of recreational machinery, construction and materials handling machinery, agricultural machinery, and buses and trucks. Konekesko operates in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia. Konekesko arranges the manufacture of and sells Yamarin boats in Finland and exports them to several European countries and Russia.

Kesko 70 years

Kesko was established on 14 October 1940 by four regional wholesale companies – Oy Savo-Karjalan Tukkuliike, Keski-Suomen Tukkukauppa Oy, Kauppiaitten Osakeyhtiö and Maakauppiaitten Osakeyhtiö – which had been founded by retailers. Kesko was entered in the Trade Register on 3 January 1941, which marked the start of business operations.

Kesko sourced and delivered goods to K-retailers on competitive terms. This function has remained and the operations have expanded to cover the management and development of store chains, retailing and store site operations.

Kesko was listed on the stock exchange in 1960. At the end of 2010, there were 38,258 shareholders, of which 26% were foreign. In 2010, Kesko's net sales totalled some €8.8 billion and the whole K-Group's sales amounted to some €11 billion. Kesko operates in eight countries and has about 22,000 employees, while the whole K-Group staff is 45,000. More than one million customers shop at K-stores every day.