Osuuskauppa Arina, a regional cooperative within the Finnish S Group, has decided to build a micro-fulfillment center (MFC) in Oulu, in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. This initiative is being undertaken to meet the rapidly growing e-commerce demand for groceries in the region and in Finland as a whole.
Previously, the S Group selected Swisslog as its partner for a so-called central fulfillment center (CFC) in Helsinki and a micro-fulfillment center in Tampere. The facility in Oulu will feature two AutoStore systems for dry and refrigerated groceries, with manual picking of the best-selling products. Frozen goods will be picked from the S Group’s adjacent Prisma supermarket to maximize the efficiency of last-mile deliveries.
“We know that our customers feel online shopping makes their daily lives easier and frees up time for other things. That’s why our online grocery business continues to grow strongly in Oulu and the surrounding area.” Since the beginning of 2024, growth has been approximately 50 percent compared to the previous year,” says Mikko Polso, head of the Supermarket Trade Division at Osuuskauppa Arina.
The automated micro-fulfillment center will enable reliable and fast deliveries to the company’s customers in the Oulu region, while doubling e-commerce delivery capacity in the region. The center will cover approximately 1,400 square meters and will be equipped with a total of 46 Redline AutoStore robots; the entire solution is supported by Swisslog’s SynQ software. The facility is expected to employ at least 25–30 people to handle order picking and quality assurance for deliveries.
“These automated solutions reduce the need for our staff to walk around the store picking items. This change therefore provides our in-store customers with a more pleasant and better shopping experience,” explains Mikko Polso.
Construction in Oulu will begin in September 2025, and the facility is expected to be fully operational in April 2026.
“We are very pleased that Osuuskauppa Arina has chosen us as a partner for its MFC. This further strengthens our strong partnership with the S Group,” says Tero Mäki, Sales Manager for AutoStore at Swisslog.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The S Group is a Finnish consumer-owned retail and service group. The group consists of 19 independent regional retail teams, one of which is Osuuskauppa Arina in Oulu.
