Finnish postal and logistics group Itella has signed an extensive cooperation agreement with thenational media company Hämeen Sanomat to provide logistics services for its online stores, with the
short-term goal to expand its e-commerce services to Russia, and to other countries in thefuture.Based on a multi-vendor e-commerce model, Hämeen Sanomat comprises several retail websites.Among them is Bellapuoti.com, targeting primarily women, which has more than 200 vendors. Thefishing store Kalastamo.com has 55 vendors and the pets’ accessories shop Dreampetstore.com – 45vendors. Together, these stores offer more than 40,000 products.
Itella said the aim of the deal was “to boost online sales and to create favorable conditionsfor international cooperation”. Initially, Hämeen Sanomat wants to expand its e-commerce activitiesin cross-border trade with the Russian city of St. Petersburg, located close to the Finnish border,and to expand the business later all over Russia. Other countries to follow include Norway, Swedenand Estonia.
Aku Happo, Vice President for E-commerce at Itella, said: “Through cooperation, we want tofacilitate e-commerce growth and make Finnish online stores more competitive. Russia is a potentialmarket area for many Finnish online stores.”
Itella added that its service portfolio meets the needs of Hämeen Sanomat’s e-commerce model.With its comprehensive partner network, it also offers online vendors, in addition to logisticsservices, help with marketing and segmentation, among other operations.
Mika Sutinen, sales director for Hämeen Sanomat, confirmed: “Our agreement with Itella providesour more than 300 vendors with better logistics services and facilitates international sales. Wecan accelerate the development of our online stores and offer better services for consumers.”
