Best store openings in 2017/18

During the financial year 2017/18 JYSK Nordic opened 82 new stores with great results. But three openings were exceptionally successful. We asked the Store Managers behind those openings to tell us what made them a success.

Elina Fellman, Store Manager in JYSK Åland, Finland:

How was the opening day?

The opening day was fantastic. We expected a lot of customers, but I think all of us were pleasantly surprised when there were people standing outside in line at 7 in the morning already. Two hours before opening time! What a day it was! We all worked hard and everybody had a great day. We are grateful for all the help we got and we have a great team on Åland.

Why do you think you were so successful?

When I moved to Åland, eight years ago, I was surprised to discover that there was no JYSK store, nor any store like JYSK. Almost everything is so much more expensive when you buy it in the local stores. Most people traveled to Sweden or Finland to do their shopping. Many of our customers have expressed that they are happy that JYSK opened on Åland. We feel very welcome here.

What kind of reactions did you get from customers and the local community on JYSK opening in their hometown?

We have felt very welcome here and the customers are happy to be able to go shopping on Åland instead of having to travel to Sweden or Finland. We got a lot of press coverage because of the language issue (in Åland they speak Swedish and JYSK Finland's systems are in Finnish), but in the end it all worked out for the best. Everybody on Åland knew JYSK had opened a store.

Gabriel Manta, Store Manager in Brasov, ROmania:

How was the opening day?

During the opening day I had to run around from one place to the oother, because we had a lot of situations that needed to be solved and I had to be in two places at the same time. We had enormous queues at the cash registers and at one point we had no more change to give back to the customers, so I had to run to another store to exchange money. But, at the end of the day, even though it was stressful, we had great turnover, a huge number of orders and everyone in the team had a huge smile on their face.

Why do you think you were so successful?

The team and the management were the most important factors. The first thing I did in the morning was to give a short motivational speech to the whole team so that everyone would know that they are very important: “We are a dream team and we work together to open the biggest store in Romania.”  All of the team members had the liberty to organise their work by themselves, and I backed them up like a lifeboat. I kept motivating the team and kept them enthusiastic.

What kind of reactions did you get from customers and the local community on JYSK opening in their hometown?

Generally, they were very pleased with the store. During the opening week some customers were surprised at how fast we work, others were frustrated that they had to stand in a huge queue to pay for the products. Most of the clients came back.

Victoria Andersson, Store Manager in Sölvesborg, Sweden:

How was the opening day?

It was amazing. We had a lot of customers. It felt like the whole town of Sölvesborg gathered to welcome us. We had so many good coworkers helping us. And many products to sell. Thanks to the people of Sölvesborg being so positive, we walked around with a smile the whole day.

Why do you think you were so successful?

In Sölvesborg the community has been fighting to get more shops in their town for some years and the community really welcomed us already in the process of building the store. I also spent a lot of time networking with other tradesmen and people working for the city to see how we could benefit from each other. I think that in a small city you have to have a good relationship between the different stores to keep the customers from travelling to bigger cities to shop.

What kind of reactions did you get from customers and the local community on JYSK opening in their hometown?

The people in Sölvesborg were happy about JYSK coming to their hometown and to see that a big company like JYSK believed in the potential of the area meant a lot to them. The customers were so nice and came to the store not only to buy things but also to give my coworkers and me praise and to see how the new store looked. Other local tradesmen came with flowers to welcome us. It was a great feeling.