Roni swaps snowy Finland for green Ireland

As Head of Retail, Roni Tuominen from Finland is first in line of JYSK’s expansion to Ireland.

”I am actually overwhelmed. I think that is the right way to put it.”

After joining JYSK less than three years ago, 39-year old Roni Tuominen is now Head of Retail and in charge of the company’s ambitious expansion to Ireland.

The first store will open in Naas on 2 April, and more stores will follow in the months to come. The initial goal is 15 stores to match the colleagues in the UK, creating 200 new jobs in the process.

"I do not miss the snow in Finland. I am not at all a winter guy."

“When I was first contacted by a recruiter three years ago, I did not know much about JYSK. But I was really impressed by Country Manager Ville Velin, and I thought he could for sure push me further in my career. So I joined his team as Retail Manager for JYSK Finland,” explains Roni.

The decision to join JYSK seems to have paid off. Both in terms of Roni’s career and the weather conditions on the emerald isle.

“I do not miss the snow in Finland. I am not at all a winter guy,” he says with a laugh.

The bigger picture

Roni began his career in retail early in his home town of Rauma, Finland, working with his mother in a local grocery store. Later, he got a part-time job with the Swedish retailer Clas Ohlson, where he went on to become Store Manager and Regional Manager.

“My ten years in the stores was actually my university of retail, which taught me valuable lessons. Being a sometimes too eager part-time Sales Assistant, I wasted a lot of time and energy worrying about why we were doing things in a certain way and trying to change them,” says Roni.

When he became Regional Manager, the things he did not understand before, now made perfect sense because he could see the bigger picture.

“Being very transparent with everyone about why we are doing things this way and not another way is now an important part of my everyday toolbox,” says Roni.

An ambitious adventure

A clear understanding of who does what and why has also been important in Roni’s introduction to the Irish part of JYSK.

“I knew that JYSK has been in the business of opening new countries for a long time. But it was really fantastic to see how well prepared we have been as a company. Of course there has been small surprises, and Brexit is an interesting challenge, but we have a great team to handle all of that,” says Roni.

"I truly believe that we have a great opportunity to grow and expand in Ireland."

In addition to the experienced colleagues from JYSK Nordic’s international team, Roni is also building his own local organisation with many different nationalities. The first four Store Managers are Irish, Croatian, Russian and Danish, respectively.

“Just like Ireland itself, our JYSK Ireland team is very multinational. I really believe this is a strength for us that our stores reflect the local community. Before April, we will do a cross-cultural workshop to make the most of our many different backgrounds,” he says.

And Roni has great ambitions for JYSK’s Irish adventure.

“Honestly, when we look at the market and what we are bringing here, I truly believe that we have a great opportunity to grow and expand in Ireland.”