KPO is a close part of the everyday lives of the region’s consumers
KPO IS a retail co-operative that caters practically for any day-to-day needs throughout Ostrobothnia. The company has 125,000 co-op members and 150 places of business. KPO is part of the national S Group retail co-operative. It is impossible not to run into the Group’s popular consumer brands in Finland, including Prisma, Rosso, the ABC service stations and Sokos Hotels.
“KPO is the second largest employer of young people in the country. We continuously invest in and develop our operating area which benefits all co-op members and up to 2,400 partner companies. We annually invest up to 30–50 MEUR in Ostrobothnia, Southern Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia”, says Kim Biskop, CEO of KPO.
A LARGE OPERATOR always carries great responsibility. KPO does this in an exemplary way. It acts very responsibly itself and gives the consumer opportunities to make more responsible choices. It is part of the first retail group in Finland to include in its S-mobiili app information about the carbon footprint of purchases. The app allows the consumer to accurately track the carbon footprint of their purchases, based on their purchase data.
The retail group has also won an award for its responsible work regarding the sourcing of products. It audits suppliers to make sure that products from near and far are responsibly produced.
“When we act in a responsible way ourselves and together with consumers, the effect is multiplied and makes a real difference in society.”
KPO IS a trailblazer of digital retail trade. At the heart of this digital technology is the customer’s mobile phone and the S-mobiili app, which allows the customer to carry out, not only carbon footprint tracking, but also many other household management chores, such as banking, investments and saving. KPO was the first business in Finland to make payment by mobile phone possible also when buying fuel. Although digital services are becoming more and more important, the physical store is still at the core of the business.
“The trick is combining the physical and digital services. We are launching a significant investmentinto online grocery shopping throughout our operating area. It involves a Click and Collect service and home delivery”, Biskop announces. Of course, this service will also be offered by the largest project in KPO’s history, the Prisma hypermarket to be built in Vaasa. This shows that KPO will continue to be an exceptionally strong and forward-looking trailblazer far into the future.
