The Marks and Spencer chain, known for affordable fashion and upmarket ready meals, has agreed a franchising deal to return to Finland. Finland’s S-Group will open seven physical outlets and a Finnish-language online store before 2016.
Helsinki city centre’s Sokos department store will be the first location, with the store set to open by October of this year. In the same month, Jyväskylä and Hämeenlinna will also see new M&S stores.
In addition, S-Group plans to take the British chain to Tampere, Lahti, Lappeenranta and Pori.
This will be the company’s second crack at the Finnish market. A partnership with Stockmann fizzled out at the end of the 1990s.
Marks and Spencer is one of Britain’s biggest retailers, with more than 700 stores in the UK and more than 450 operating worldwide.