R-kioski (known as R-kiosk in Estonia) is a chain of convenience stores that is part of the Reitan Convenience division of the Reitan Group. Reitan's Eastern Nordic and Baltic portfolio includes R-kioski in Finland, R-kiosk in Estonia and Lietuvos spauda [lt] in Lithuania. There are 560 R-kioski shops across Finland as of 2017[update].[2] They sell a range of products, such as books, magazines, cigarettes and tobacco, ready meals, snacks, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks (in Finnish stores up to 8% ABV; under Finnish law, stronger alcoholic drinks can only be legally sold by the Alkoalcohol monopoly). R-kioski shops also provide services such as the various "Veikkaus" lottery games (and in most stores, slot machines), prepaidSIM cards and top-up vouchers, postal services, as well as the sale of public transport tickets. Most shops are also able to sell national rail and bus transport tickets. Most stores also sell Ärräpaketti (R-parcel) parcel services that are delivered from R-kioski to R-kioski
R-kioski is known as "Ärrä" (the name of the letter R in Finnish) in common language. The company slogan is "Nopeaa ja mukavaa on asiointi" (It's swift and convenient to shop).
The first R-kiosk in Estonia opened in 1993, and as of 2014[update] there are 107 shops in Estonia.[4] Reitan Convenience posted a turnover of 1.63 billion euros in 2017.[2] Reitan Convenience invested 18 million euros in R-kioski in 2013 and 2014 together. The money was invested to broaden the product selection as well as to lower the price of food to par with other retail chains competing in the same market such as Alepa, Lidl and Siwa.[5]
History
Finnish Kismet (chocolate bar) with Geisha chocolate flavour and a cup of R-kiosk's coffee
The company dates back to 1910. The business was originally conceived by several major Finnish publishing houses as a newsagent for railway stations ("Rautakirja" was itself shortened from "Rautatiekirjakauppa" which translates to "railway bookshop"). It was later extended to other venues and products. The name R-kioski was adopted in 1958.
On 5 March 2012, it was announced that the Reitan Group bought R-kioski from Sanoma for roughly 130 million euros. The group had been working on the purchase for a decade, but previous negotiations had stranded as R-kioski had demanded a merger where they owned 51 percent. The purchase brought the Reitan Group to 2,500 kiosk outlets, making it the second-largest kiosk group in Europe.[6][7] The company also previously operated in Romania between 2008 and 2011, but sold its operations to R-kioski Romania CEO Dan Vasile in April 2011. The name R-kioski was to be abandoned in Romania after a grace period following the corporate acquisition.[8]
Former company slogans include "Kaiken lisäksi lähellä" (To top it off, it's near by), "Äkkiä R-kioskille" (Swiftly to R-kioski), "R-kioskilla kaikki käy" (We accept everything at R-kioski or Everyone visits R-kioski) and "R-Kioski — Sellaisena kuin sinä haluat" (R-Kioski — as you want it).
Gallery
A R-kioski on Bulevardi in Helsinki with the old logo in 2006
Interior of a R-kioski in Jyväskylä. The Veikkaus lottery game counter and slot machines are on the far-left of this picture
R-kiosk in Aleksandri Street, Tartu, Estonia in 2007
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