The year 2021 was a time of great changes at Finnish Design Shop, as we opened our new logistics center and showroom and contributed to carbon neutrality by protecting Finnish forests. Design Stories summed up the most important figures and interesting facts from the year 2021.
Deliveries to 102 countries
In 2021, Finnish Design Shop’s products were ordered – for the first time ever – in more than a hundred different countries. New shipping destinations added in the past year included, among others, Albania, Maldives and Uganda. In total, we delivered a whopping 1,954,334 kilograms of design products to customers all around the world – 69 percent more than in the previous year.
As a part of our newly minted sustainability strategy, Finnish Design Shop introduced climate compensated deliveries. This means that we ensure that the carbon footprint of every order that leaves our warehouse is fully offset. We will compensate the annual emissions from our direct operations by protecting Finnish forests.
• In 2020, we shipped products to 99 countries.
New 12,000 square meter logistics center
The highlight of the year for Finnish Design Shop, and by far our biggest effort, was moving to a new logistics center. The logistics center spans a total of 12,000 square meters, and thanks to its new warehouse, we are able to stock significantly larger quantities of products than previously. The new facilities and modern, automated collection technology allow even faster shipping for an even larger product offering.
Located near the Turku Airport, the new logistics center features spacious office facilities. Customers can enjoy the services of our magnificent new showroom and the upcoming FDS x ST restaurant run by chef Sami Tallberg, who specializes in cooking with wild herbs. The restaurant is set to open in early 2022.
The building is powered by geothermal energy and solar panels, and it was designed in accordance with the second highest classification of the BREEAM environmental standard, i.e. Excellent. The façade of the logistics center was designed by Avanto Architects, and the interior design was done by Studio Joanna Laajisto.
148 design professionals
In 2021, the number of Finnish Design Shop’s employees increased to 148 staff members, and we employed dozens of people as peak-period help. The largest teams were our warehouse and customer service teams, whose operations are run centrally from Turku. Other teams worked from both our Turku and Helsinki offices, as well as their personal home offices. Like the previous year, 2021 was characterized by strong recommendations to utilize any possibilities for remote work, and many new additions to our teams began their FDS careers remotely.
“It’s great to be able to schedule and prioritize tasks myself.”
Laura Lehto, who started last year in the product team, is looking forward to working with her colleagues face-to-face.
“I started at Finnish Design Shop as a product assistant last April. The job is versatile: I get to know new products before they are added to our online store, I contact suppliers, update prices and product information, and add products to the website, to name a few. It’s great to be able to schedule and prioritize tasks myself.
I was a little nervous about starting a new job remotely, but close connections with colleagues on Teams and my daily lunch and break routines make working days pleasant. As the restrictions ease up, I will spend part of my workdays at our Helsinki office, right by the sea. I look forward to meeting and spending time with all my colleagues.”
• At the end of 2020, there were about 133 employees.
6,628 new items
Last year, we kept expanding our online store, adding 6,628 new products that were curated according to the wishes of our customers. New brands included the Danish Carl Hansen & Søn, known for their Wishbone chairs, the Swedish furniture manufacturer Fogia, and the Finnish ecological paint company Cover Story.
5,572 new vintage listings
Franckly, Finnish Design Shop’s marketplace for second-hand design, celebrated its 2nd birthday last year. Franckly’s highlights for 2021 included a collaboration campaign together with the short-stay apartment hotel Bob W, during which the team sourced 120 pre-owned Artek chairs for Bob W’s facilities.
The best aspects of good design are that it is durable, timeless, and thus ecological, which means it is usually easy to find a new home for a used design classic. In 2021, a total of 5,572 new listings for design treasures looking for a new home were added to Franckly.
Franckly’s Follow feature allows you to follow any item you wish to purchase and get notified by email when they are listed for sale. The top three of Franckly’s most followed products remained exactly the same as in the previous year, with only slight variation in their ranking order.
Franckly’s most followed items in 2021:
1. CH24 Wishbone chair >
2. Aalto pendant lamp A331 “Beehive” >
3. Nappula candleholder, brass >
119,247 contacts to the customer service
Last year, our customer service team was busier than ever. We received a total of 119,247 messages and calls across different channels – almost 20,000 more than the previous year. This left us with an average of well over 300 messages per day. The team’s stellar design sales professionals took such good care of each and every customer that in the customer satisfaction survey, we received a grade of 4.5 out of 5.
Finnish Design Shop’s own, professional Customer Service is open every day of the week. To our delight, our customers often leave us valuable feedback – here’s one of them.
”I love this shop. All of my purchases have felt like a slice of Nordic happiness. Customer service is responsive and shipping is prompt. So nice to shop where I feel like a valued customer.”
See also:
• TOP 10: The most popular design products of 2021 >
• Over a million kilos of design to 99 countries – Finnish Design Shop’s year in numbers 2020 >
Text: Nora Uotila and Mikko Vaija Illustration: Eija Vehviläinen