Following the opening of standalone stores and shop-in-shops in ten European countries, MUJI has entered yet another new market: Finland. The non-branded quality goods retailer from Tokyo has gained a global cult status, and not surprisingly, it resonates quite well in a country known for its prolific design history. MUJI tested the water with a series of successful pop-up stores in the Finnish capital Helsinki, and at long last, its newest flagship store opened today at Kamppi Shopping Centre. Occupying the entire top floor, the store measures a whopping 3,500 sqm. (37,674 sq.ft.) and is the company’s largest outpost in Europe. Similar to the company’s other retail spaces, the premises are defined by functional settings with a rustic touch, captured timber floor sections and a variety of furnishings in the same material. An exposed ceiling with utility pipes offers a contrasting industrial backdrop. Given the size of the store, MUJI pulls out all the stops when it comes to merchandise, presenting just about every product segment, from apparel to cosmetics, and home products to stationery items.
Additionally, both the MUJI Labo and MUJI Walker clothing lines are introduced here. But that’s not all. The expansive store is home to a series of engaging sections – mind you, some are introduced in Europe for the very fist time – such as MUJI Books, a relaxing space where shoppers can indulge in a selection of lifestyle books, MUJI Found and its selection of durable and long-lasting daily household necessities, lifestyle products by MUJI IDÉE, in addition to a MUJI restaurant seating 189 guests, a café and a food department selling Japanese delicacies and Finnish local food. Locality is evident both in the grocery store and in the raw materials used by the café and restaurant. There are quality products from around a hundred carefully selected small Finnish entrepreneurs ranging from oatmeal to herbs and fish. Last but certainly not least, the Japanese retailer has launched MUJI Passport, a free smartphone application designed to collect miles, use shopping coupons, and access information about the company anytime and anywhere.
MUJI
Kamppi Shopping Centre, Urho Kekkosen katu 1, Fourth Floor (Kamppi)
00100 Helsinki
Telephone: +358 50 311155
Mon-Fri 9-9
Sat 9-7
Sun 12-6
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
