Sello
A large shopping and entertainment centre in Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Sello is a major shopping and entertainment centre in Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland. It combines retail, grocery shopping, restaurants, cultural facilities, services and leisure activities in a large complex beside Leppävaara railway station and bus station. Ring I runs immediately to the east, giving the centre strong road access as well as direct connections to regional public transport. The centre contains more than 170 shops and services. Its tenant mix includes large grocery and general-merchandise operators, fashion retailers, sporting-goods stores, restaurants, cafés, banks, a pharmacy, an Alko outlet, a gym and other everyday services. Major stores identified in reference material include Prisma, K-Citymarket, Power, Tokmanni, Halonen, H&M and Intersport Megastore. Sello is therefore positioned not only as a destination for discretionary shopping but also as an everyday service and grocery hub for residents of Espoo and the wider Helsinki metropolitan area. Sello is also distinguished by its public and cultural facilities. The complex includes Espoo City's main library, a concert hall and a music academy. Its entertainment provision has included a cinema and bowling facilities in the section originally developed as the Sello Rex entertainment centre, now referred to as Sello Vapaa-ajankeskus. A hotel, Hotel Sello, operates in connection with the wider centre and is identified as a property of the Palace Kämp Group. The development was built in several stages. The oldest section was completed in 2002, the second section opened in 2005 and the newest section was completed in 2008. The development replaced and expanded the former Maxi hypermarket site, which had been home to Finland's oldest hypermarket building, dating from 1971. The first phase of the larger construction project began in February 2003, and the former Maxi building was subsequently demolished as the next stage proceeded. The grocery offer initially included K-Citymarket and a new Maxi store; following the merger of Elanto and Helsingin Osuuskauppa, the latter was converted into an HOK-Elanto Prisma, which opened in April 2004. The second phase opened on 14 September 2005 and added more than 160 shops and services. The entertainment and cinema-focused third component opened in late 2008, taking the number of businesses to more than 170. The surrounding district later gained additional high-rise residential and office development, including Panorama Tower, Leppävaaran torni and Sellonhuippu, reinforcing Sello's role as part of a dense mixed-use urban centre. Sello has also been associated with a major public tragedy. On 31 December 2009, five people were killed during a shooting spree at the mall. The incident is an important part of the centre's documented history, although it does not define Sello's commercial role. Sello remains an active Finnish shopping-centre destination with a broad combination of retail, services, culture, dining, hospitality and entertainment.
History
Sello developed as a large-scale urban shopping-centre project in Leppävaara, Espoo, at a location with immediate access to the local railway station, bus station and Ring I. The development expanded an existing retail area and replaced the former Maxi hypermarket building, which had opened in 1971 and was described in reference material as Finland's oldest hypermarket building. The first phase of the broader construction project began on 6 February 2003. The former Maxi building remained open until 1 February 2003 and was demolished after the initial stage of Sello had been completed, allowing the next part of the development to proceed. The first phase introduced major grocery anchors, including K-Citymarket and a new Maxi store. After the merger of Elanto and Helsingin Osuuskauppa, the new Maxi was changed into an HOK-Elanto Prisma, which opened on 28 April 2004. Sello's second phase opened on 14 September 2005. It added more than 160 shops and services and broadened the centre beyond grocery and large-format retail. Restaurants, smaller stores, banks and sporting-goods retailers became important parts of the tenant mix. The centre's oldest completed section also incorporated public and cultural functions, including Espoo City's main library, a concert hall, a gym, restaurants and cafés, a pharmacy, an Alko outlet and a music academy. The final major development stage was completed in 2008. It included a cinema and entertainment centre originally called Sello Rex, later referred to as Sello Vapaa-ajankeskus, together with restaurants and a bowling alley. This stage brought the number of businesses in the complex to more than 170. A hotel operating as Hotel Sello was also associated with the centre; the hotel is identified as belonging to the Palace Kämp Group. The physical growth of Sello formed part of wider urban intensification around Leppävaara. Panorama Tower, a 17-storey office building, was constructed on the site immediately east of Sello in 2008. Later residential additions included the 21-storey Leppävaaran torni north of the railway tracks and the 17-storey Sellonhuippu building beside the cinema, completed in 2011. These developments helped establish Sello as part of a mixed-use district rather than an isolated retail site. On 31 December 2009, five people were killed during a shooting spree at the mall. This event is recorded in accounts of Sello's history and is the principal serious incident associated with the centre in the supplied reference material. Outside that tragedy, the documented development of Sello is primarily a story of phased expansion, increasing tenant diversity and integration with public transport, cultural services, hospitality and surrounding urban development.
- 2011
Sellonhuippu completed beside the cinema
[1]The 17-floor Sellonhuippu apartment building was completed next to the cinema area, adding to the surrounding mixed-use district.
- 2009
Shooting spree at the mall
[1]Five people were killed during a shooting spree at Sello on 31 December 2009.
- 2008
Entertainment and cinema section opens
[1]The cinema and entertainment centre known as Sello Rex opened in late 2008, later becoming known as Sello Vapaa-ajankeskus.
- 2005
Second phase opens
[1]The second phase opened on 14 September 2005, adding more than 160 shops and services to the shopping centre.
- 2004
Prisma opens
[1]The HOK-Elanto Prisma store opened on 28 April 2004 after the new Maxi store was converted following the merger of Elanto and Helsingin Osuuskauppa.
- 2003
Major construction project begins
[1]The first phase of the large Sello construction project began on 6 February 2003. The former Maxi building closed shortly beforehand and was later demolished.
- 2002
Oldest Sello section completed
[1]The oldest part of the Sello complex was completed, incorporating retail, services, public facilities and cultural venues.
- 1971
Former Maxi hypermarket opens
[1]The former Maxi hypermarket building opened beside the later Sello development site and was subsequently described as Finland's oldest hypermarket building.
Products and positioning
A large, transit-connected mixed-use shopping and entertainment centre serving everyday retail, services, culture and leisure needs in Espoo and the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Retail
Retail and grocery offer
Sello's core offer combines large grocery and general-merchandise stores with smaller shops. The documented anchor tenants include Prisma and K-Citymarket, while Power and Tokmanni add electronics, household and general merchandise. This anchor-led structure supports both routine shopping and occasional destination visits.
Specialty retail
Fashion and sporting goods
Fashion and sports retail form a substantial part of Sello's specialty-store mix. Reference material identifies H&M, Halonen, Intersport Megastore and other sporting-goods retailers, alongside smaller shops serving clothing, accessories and active-lifestyle needs.
Cultural and civic services
Culture and public services
The centre includes Espoo City's main library, a concert hall and a music academy, as well as banking, pharmacy, gym and other everyday services. These facilities broaden Sello's role beyond commercial retail and make it a recurring civic and cultural destination.
Entertainment · 2008
Sello Vapaa-ajankeskus
The entertainment section developed as Sello Rex and later became known as Sello Vapaa-ajankeskus. It was designed around a cinema, restaurants and a bowling alley, adding evening and leisure uses to the shopping-centre format.
Hospitality
Hotel Sello
Hotel Sello is the accommodation facility associated with the shopping centre. Reference material identifies it as a property of the Palace Kämp Group, providing hospitality capacity within the wider Sello complex.
Controversies
Sources2 sources
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