A hundred years ago, on 10 September 1910, Rautatiekirjakauppa Ltd. was established to sell newspapers and books on Finnish railway stations. During the years, the business expanded and now covers kiosks, trade services, bookstores and movie operations.
In 1999, when Sanoma and WSOY merged, Rautakirja became a part of the Group. In 2008, the Group united its operations under the Sanoma brand, and Rautakirja division was renamed as Sanoma Trade division. Rautakirja, a well known brand in Finland, remained as the name of Sanoma Trade's parent company.
In 2009, almost half of the Division's net sales came from kiosk business, a quarter from trade services while bookstores and movie operations contributed the rest. Sanoma Trade is known for its service concepts, strong brands and market leadership. In Finland, Sanoma Trade has some 700 R-kiosks, over 60 book stores, some 7,600 Lehtipiste newsstands in various stores as well as 15 movie theatres. Sanoma Trade operates also in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Russia. In the Baltic countries Sanoma Trade is the market leader in kiosks, trade services and movie theatres.
Rautakirja celebrates the anniversary by meeting with the customers and offering free coffee in R-kiosks all over Finland on 10 September. In Helsinki, Rautakirja organises a two-day festival on 8-9 September in the city centre on Narinkka Square in co-operation with various partners.
Additional information:
Corporate Planning Manager Lisbeth Kuitunen, Rautakirja, tel +358 400 377 652
Sanoma Trade is a retail specialist operating in eight countries and serving its customers in 210 million sales contacts in kiosks, bookstores and movie theatres annually. Sanoma Trade's strengths lie in a thorough understanding of customers' needs and solid concepts. Its trade services business is a strong link between publishers, producers and retailers. Sanoma Trade is part of the Sanoma Group, a strong European media group operating in diverse fields of media in 20 countries.