First new Asko store opens in Lempäälä

The first new Asko furniture store since the brand’s spring bankruptcy opened on Monday in Lempäälä’s Ideapark, reports Yle.

Businessman Toivo “Topi” Sukari, who acquired the Asko and Sotka brands in March, inaugurated the store. “There couldn’t be a better feeling. Today, Topi makes history,” he said.

Sukari aims to revive the traditional Finnish furniture chain, acknowledging the challenge: “You have to be a little crazy to take this on. My madness is that I have to save Asko.”

Customer Tarja Ali-Kippari praised the store’s interior: “It’s beautifully decorated. We like it.” She and her husband Jarmo, who traveled from Pälkäne, already own many Asko pieces. “We were left in the lurch when Asko went bankrupt,” Jarmo said. They prefer Finnish products for their quality, despite the higher price.

Sukari, founder of the Masku furniture chain and Ideapark, plans a leaner model: 15 physical Asko stores instead of the previous near-100, with e-commerce as the primary focus. Sotka-branded stores may not reappear.

Stores will be smaller and more colorful, with products displayed in furnished rooms, similar to IKEA. Some Asko items will be almost entirely Finnish-made, though Sukari notes the domestic furniture industry has declined too much to rely on it solely.

Lasse Mitronen, a dosent at Tampere University, believes Asko can recover due to its strong brand recognition. He suggests expanding into furniture restoration and peer-to-peer sales to extend product lifecycles.