The Nordic Biltema chain builds a new department store in Mikkeli. BiltemaReal Estate Finland Oy, a member of the Biltema Group, buys 3.4 hectares of land from the City of Mikkeli in Visulahti. The company submitted a purchase offer for the plots in a public tender organised by the city.

CEO Jani Mahlakaarto from Biltema Suomi Oy confirms that the company is planning to open a new department store in Mikkeli. The 7,000 square metres store, in accordance with the company’s new department store concept, will employ approximately 25-40 people after its opening, and many times more during the construction phase.

According to Jani Mahlakaarto, expanding to Mikkeli is part of Biltema’s new growth strategy, the aim of which is to increase the number of shops in Finland over the next few years. The company plans to start construction in 2021 and open the new department store to the public at the end of spring 2022.

Sale of Land Accelerates the Development of the Visulahti Business Area

For the City of Mikkeli, the plot sale of about 3.4 hectares is the most important starting point for the construction of the Visulahti area’s trade and business activities. The strong national retail chain will act as the forerunner business in the region, which is sure to speed up other investment plans in the region.

Biltema is the first retailer to go public with its plans.

The City of Mikkeli and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency will work together to build the Mikkeli – Juva main road project. The new section of the main road will open for traffic at the end of 2020. The new interchange in Visulahti will be opened at the same time. New areas reserved for retail are also located near the interchange.

The City of Mikkeli has zoned areas for retail and business in the immediate vicinity of the main road. The connection project has already built streets and roads in this area to enable a speedy deployment of the plots.
A company previously settled in this area is Ponsse Oyj.

Jouni Riihelä, Mikkeli City Technical Director, explains that the area has been systematically developed.

-The City of Mikkeli has been patiently building an area of trade and entrepreneurship around the Visulahti intersection. With the progress of the main road project and this plot sale, the belief in the attractiveness of this retail area has become more concrete. It can be said that the commitment of a nationally well-known retail chain to Visulahti is the most concrete example of this, and a step forward. This company’s investment creates the vitality and jobs Mikkeli needs, which has always been the goal of Visulahti’s development.

At the moment, six other preliminary reservations have been made at Visulahti, explains Hannele Hynninen from the Mikkeli Development Company Miksei Ltd. In addition, negotiations are under way with several other operators.

-We believe that Biltema’s decision will also speed up the decisions made by others.

Mikkeli Development Company Ltd. creates jobs for the residents of Mikkeli by supporting the development, growth and export of companies. Miksei supports businesses through all stages of development, starting from business plans. Our experts help companies find a suitable location and workforce, develop their business, and create national and international networks. More about us