Kesko is increasing its presence in the Tampere region -

Press release 
August 14, 2008 at 2.40 p.m.
Kesko is increasing its presence in the Tampere region - new premises to be
located at Technopolis Yliopistonrinne 

Technopolis Plc and Kesko Corporation have agreed on the relocation of Kesko's
operations to new premises at Technopolis Yliopistonrinne in the heart of
Tampere.  Implementation of the technology center commenced in July 2008, and
Kesko will move in during the spring of 2010, according to plan. 

 “Kesko has concentrated its financial management services in particular in
Tampere, a development we hope will continue. In over 5 years, the number of
Kesko's financial management professionals working in Tampere has gone up from
around 30 to almost 150. In all, the new premises will house well over two
hundred Kesko employees", says Jari Alanen, District Director for Kesko in
Pirkanmaa. 

 “The fact that Kesko wants to operate and seek growth right here in Tampere is
truly fantastic and significant also on a national scale. We are very proud
that Kesko relies on us as a partner and that we have as an engine such a
nationally significant expert service provider, especially as Kesko considers
Tampere to be an unparalleled building ground for development and success, says
Satu Eskelinen, Vice President for Technopolis in Tampere. Contributing to the
appeal of Tampere are the numerous high-quality providers of education that
ensure the availability of competent workforce. 

 “We are very pleased with this agreement with Technopolis. It is important for
us to operate in state-of-the-art premises that give us flexibility in planning
future personnel numbers and operations and that serve as a modern and
comfortable operating environment for our employees. Moreover, we want to
operate in a dynamic environment that reflects the very essence and nature of
the residing expert companies. The versatile public transport possibilities
that are now within our grasp thanks to the location of Yliopistonrinne are
also important to us”, Alanen says. 

 “The services we offer make it easier for Kesko to better focus on its own
business, and the flexible space solutions make it easier for us to anticipate
future needs", Eskelinen adds. 

The Tampere economic region boasts four institutes of higher education and a
diversified network of vocational schools and colleges, plus 35,000 academic
students that represent a large pool of competent workforce for the varying
needs of the region's companies. For example, from the point of view of
corporate financial management, Tampere provides a complete chain of commercial
education, all the way from a commercial college to the versatile opportunities
for economic studies provided by the university. 

 "The University of Tampere's special strengths in economic studies -
accounting, tax law and insurance science, the last of which is not provided
elsewhere in Finland - are unique in the Finnish setting. Therefore, Tampere
provides a natural foothold for financial management service centers, insurance
companies and business service providers, to provide but a few examples.
Tampere's Yliopistonrinne area boosts the entire region's active role as a
trailblazer in the harnessing and commercialization of the service business and
technology. The area provides an attractive and fertile platform for operations
and carrying out business for information intensive service companies", says
Timo P. Nieminen, Mayor of Tampere. 

 “Yliopistonrinne contributes to the emergence of a strong concentration of
service companies in Tampere, where other financial management expert companies
are also based. Yliopistonrinne makes it possible for us to continue providing
our customer companies with the premises and services they need in a central
location in Tampere. Additionally, it gives Technopolis a chance to get a new
customer base in Pirkanmaa", Eskelinen says. A new kind of competence cluster
can be developed through the networking of companies, utilization of
subcontractor networks, joint training and collaboration with providers of
education. 

Eskelinen states that innovations are created in concentrations of educational
institutes, companies and research bodies - in other words, cooperation by
people. The concept of Yliopistonrinne makes it possible for expert services
and companies to meet in a natural way. Yliopistonrinne makes it possible for
competent people to network, and this in turn facilitates the creation of new
competence and added value on a regional scale. Opportunities for networking
are actively offered in the form of different events: for example, Technopolis
Plc, arranges dozens of networking events every year, and Technopolis Ventures
Oy is the leading provider of business development services in Finland, and
also the largest of its kind in Europe. 

Technopolis has over 100 customer companies in Tampere. Upon completion of the
first stage of Technopolis Yliopistonrinne in 2010, the company's total
leasable area in Tampere will increase to more than 59,000 square meters. The
total cost of Yliopistonrinne is estimated at EUR 33.3 million. The size of the
first stage will be some 19,200 gross square meters, which includes an indoor
parking facility for 130 vehicles. The Yliopistonrinne technology center will
be implemented in three stages. Once fully completed, its size will be
approximately 30,000 square meters. 

Measured by the number of its customers, Technopolis is one of the leading
technology and science park companies in Europe. Technopolis is the largest
company in Finland specializing in business environments for technology
companies. The Technopolis service concept combines modern office space and
facilities with business and development services for high-tech companies and
their partners. 
Technopolis has built or is building technology parks in Helsinki, Espoo,
Vantaa, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lappeenranta, Oulu and Tampere in Finland, as well
as St. Petersburg, Russia. There are approximately 15,500 people and 1,150
companies and organizations operating in the company's parks.
www.technopolis.fi 

Kesko is the leading provider of trading sector services and is a highly valued
listed company. Through its stores, Kesko brings quality to the daily lives of
consumers. Kesko has about 2,000 stores engaged in chain operations in the
Nordic and Baltic countries, and Russia and Belarus. Kesko's operations include
food, hardware supplies, department stores, agricultural and machinery trade.
The biggest divisions are Kesko Food, Rautakesko, VV-Auto, Anttila and Kesko
Agro. There are 142 K-stores in Pirkanmaa. Around 800 Kesko employees work in
Pirkanmaa, and the total number of K-store personnel in Pirkanmaa is 1,800.  
www.kesko.fi 
___________________________________________________________________

Additional information:

Technopolis Plc
Satu Eskelinen, Vice President, Tampere, tel. +358 50 655 70

Kesko Corporation
Jari Alanen, District Director, Pirkanmaa, tel. +358 50 620 26
Kesko is increasing its presence in the Tampere region - new premises to be located at Technopolis Yliopistonrinne
