Tokmanni Group Oyj is a Finnish retail chain, which is also the largest discount store chain in Finland in terms of net sales in 2019.[2] Tokmanni is Finland's only nationwide discount store chain, and at the end of 2019 it had almost 200 stores around the country.[3][4]
History
The oldest Finnish low price chain of those who later went into the ownership of Tokmanni, was Vapaa Valinta, founded in 1974 in Pirkkala of Juha and Paula Manninen.
The brothers Kyösti and Kari Kokkonen founded in 1989 a discount store in Joensuu under the name Okman, which was renamed to Tokmanni in 1991. Later, other low-price chains were founded in the 1970s, for example, Pirkko and Hannu Vuokila in 1978 founded Säästökuoppa in Oulu and Seppo and Paavo Saastamoinen in 1979 founded Maxi-Makasiini in Kajaani.
During the 1980s, low-cost companies were founded throughout Finland, such as Tarjoustalo in Hyvinkää in 1980 by Arja and Kari Hautanen, Säästöpörssi in Karis in 1985 by Timo and Tapio Halme and Robinhood in 1988 by Seppo and Jukka Saastamoinen in