Breath of fresh air in Finland

Since Musti ja Mirri was acquired by management and financial sponsor Vaaka Partners in 2010, the chain's sales have increased from € 25 mio to € 81 mio. In the last financial year, sales were up 36 per cent compared with the previous year. At the same time, profitability doubled to € 3.5 mio. Musti ja Mirri operates 122 stores, 103 of which are in Finland and a further 19 in Sweden. 99 stores are corporate owned, 23 are franchise stores.
Following the takeover by Vaaka Partners, Musti ja Mirri was completely restructured. The experienced industry player Mika Sutinen was appointed CEO. Having spent many years working for Best Friend Group Oy, the leading Scandinavian pet supplies wholesaler, and VPG Finland, Sutinen has extensive knowledge of all aspects of the whole supply chain. The Finnish store chain, which has been sold to EQT Mid Market Fund in November 2014, operates primarily smaller stores in areas with a high footfall, mainly in shopping centres that also feature busy supermarkets. In the last four years alone, around 50 Musti ja Mirri stores have been relocated. The stores do not sell live pets, nor do they stock any aquatics supplies. Multichannel strategy The company attaches great importance to clean, clearly organised retail areas. "We are here to make the life of pets and pet owners easier, safer and more fun," is Musti ja Mirri's corporate philosophy. It has reacted more quickly to the challenge of e-commerce than many other pet supplies retailers in the last few years and has gradually developed a multichannel strategy that offers a wide range of individual shopping options, from which customers can choose the one that is most convenient for them. There's an online shop as well as a buy & collect service (fast Internet orders collected from stores) or the opportunity to order in store and have goods delivered. A new feature introduced by the company is click & reserve, which customers can use to check in-store stock and reserve it for collection at their own convenience. Musti ja Mirri also offers another new service, home delivery, in which goods ordered by the customer can be delivered on the same day. Close customer ties Musti ja Mirri is aiming to build up a close relationship with its customers and maintain this on an ongoing basis. Over 300 000 households, meaning over half of all Finnish households with pets, belong to the company's loyalty club. "70 per cent of all purchases are made by loyalty card members," says Mika…