The Danish discount store chain Normal expanded very quickly in Finland in a short period of time, business paper Kauppalehti reports, but now that growth is starting to level off.
The turquoise-hued shops carry everyday items like shampoo, face creams, snacks, candies, pet treats and a number of products and brands not found other stores in Finland.
The paper notes that Normal's annual turnover was well over 200 million euros in the fiscal year ending in July. That reflected growth of about 14 percent, while during the previous two periods, it saw growth of 44 percent and more than 150 percent.
Its operating profits are also "showing signs of fatigue," according to the paper, with profits falling to 7.7 percent of net sales last fiscal year, compared to 9.8 percent profits the previous year.
The chain's growth in Finland was quick, Kauppalehti points out. Normal opened its first shop at the Sello shopping centre in Espoo in 2021 — now it has nearly 100 outlets across the country.
Heikki Peltola, who the paper explains has followed retail markets for the past 35 years, calls Normal a "sensation" with an "unusual story".
"Normal is different and surprising. That's what people are looking for, not everyday boring stores. Normal speaks the language of people and its marketing has humor that many people find alienating or don't understand," Peltola says, according to Kauppalehti.
Market analyst Ahri Kivilahti tells the paper that Normal has grown at a fast clip while maintaining high profitability.
In terms of business volumes, Normal has already outpaced sales at Finnish home goods retailer Jysk, he says.
According to Kivilahti, Normal may well surpass Stockmann and R-kioski in that regard next.
Kivilahti says that despite its current slight slowdown, "Normal is a great success story in Finland."
Finns investing better
Nordea Bank is by far the most popular firm on the Helsinki Stock Exchange among Finnish investors, according to Swedish-language daily Hufvudstadsbladet.
It said that more than 350,000 people in Finland own shares in the bank, and that number increased this year.
Finns tend to prefer investing in major listed companies that pay higher dividends, the paper explained, citing figures from Euroclear.
Other firms that Finns invest the most in include networking giant Nokia, financial group Mandatum and energy firm Fortum.
The CEO of the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion (Pörssisäätiö in Finnish), Sari Lounasmeri, tells the paper that Finnish investors generally hold onto shares they've acquired for a long time, saying that's a positive thing.
Investors are also increasingly interested in diversifying their holdings and spreading out their risks across various companies and industries. According to Lounasmeri, this means that the poor performance of a single company doesn't cause investors' portfolios to drain away.
She also noted that men and women tend to invest in different things. According to a Danske Bank survey, men's investments and savings roughly double those of women.
While men have an average of 42,400 euros in investments and savings accounts, the corresponding amount for women is 22,800 euros, according to the survey.
Another gender difference is the type of companies male and female investors turn to. According to Euroclear data, women have invested more in fashion firms Lindex and Marimekko than men.
At the same time, men invest more in companies like defence and security tech firm Summa Defence as well as forestry equipment company Ponsse, according to HBL.
Influenza peak yet to come
The peak of the ongoing influenza pandemic is expected to start after Christmas or early next year, according to the Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reports.
Cases are rapidly spreading, and can take out several workers at care homes and units, according to the chief physician in the wellbeing services county of South Savo, Hans Gärdström.
"The situation was calm just a week or two ago. Now, around the middle of the week, we've noticed an increase in absences," he tells the paper.
Flu cases have spread in both wards and outpatient settings, the paper reports. According to Gärdström, cases have been spreading more easily than in recent years. The epidemic also started a bit earlier than usual this year.
"The spread is rapid once it has entered a unit," he said.
However, the pandemic's peak is looming in the near future, according to the chief physician.
The article included a heat map of the number of confirmed influenza cases across Finland. The largest case numbers were seen in Central Ostrobothnia.
Finnish authorities have confirmed more than 3,240 influenza A infections in the country. However, there have only been a few dozen confirmed cases of influenza B, according to THL.
Gärdström advised people with flu symptoms to stay at home and avoid meeting others.
