FINLAND. SSP Finland is to open Ajisen Ramen, Jamie’s Deli and Moomin Coffee outlets at Helsinki Airport as part of a continuing upgrade of the food & beverage offer. Each brand is a first for Finland. The new units will open in the latest phase of a big terminal expansion in early 2019.
“We are very happy that Helsinki Airport’s ranking as the best airport in Northern Europe and as a continuously developing airport has also been noted among the best restaurant business operators,” said Commercial Director and Vice President of Finavia at Helsinki Airport Elena Stenholm. (Note: Helsinki Airport will host this year’s annual Airport Food & Beverage Conference and Awards on 20-21 June; see below.)
“We work hard together with our partners to offer our air passengers as smooth and memorable customer experience as possible also regarding food & beverage selection. We welcome these new restaurant concepts that are unique to our markets to Helsinki Airport. Our more than 20 million annual passengers will offer the restaurants an interesting and international customer base.”
SSP Finland Managing Director Pia Jormanainen said: “We are delighted to be investing in these fabulous new restaurants at Helsinki. These are three innovative brands that are ideally suited to the passenger profile at the airport, and we are delighted to be working in partnership with the team at Finavia to create an even better experience for passengers travelling to and from this fine airport.”
Ajisen Ramen is an international ramen chain restaurant, originating in Kumamoto, Japan. It has over 800 stores worldwide, including over 700 stores in China.
Moomin Coffee is inspired by the popular Finnish fictional character Moomin. The café design will be familiar from the storybook’s Moominvalley, noted the partners.
Jamie’s Deli, from well-known UK chef Jamie Oliver is features fresh, responsibly-sourced and healthy food.
These new restaurant brands at Helsinki Airport were selected by Finavia after a tender. SSP currently runs 11 restaurants, cafés and bars at Helsinki Airport.
Stenholm added: “The driving forces of all the restaurants at Helsinki Airport are diversity and quality. As an international airport, we pay attention to the needs and preferences of many different nationalities, while, at the same time, highlighting Finnishness in our choices. Many of the restaurant concepts that we have created in cooperation with the restaurant operators reflect the locality and natural character also in their food selection. Furthermore, the restaurant personnel in the kitchens as well as in the dining rooms has specialised in paying attention to the needs of the air passengers, such as the time limitations.”
“Moomin Coffee is the world’s first Moomin branded café at an airport,” noted Jormanainen. “Helsinki Airport is a natural location for the café. The Moomins are particularly popular in Japan, and Helsinki Airport offers the highest number of direct scheduled flight connections to Japan of all European airports, courtesy of Finnair and Japan Airlines. But families around the world love the Moomins, and all passengers are, naturally, welcome at the Moomin Coffee, just as they are at the Moominhouse dining table.”
Japanese passenger numbers are growing fast at Helsinki Airport. In 2017, the airport handled more than 678,000 Japanese, a sharp rise of +16% year-on-year. That growth rate has continued in 2018.
Helsinki Airport has also invested strongly in services targeted at Chinese passengers. Many team members speak Chinese, while the airport has also implemented China UnionPay and Alipay systems and a mobile interpreting service. In a campaign called #LIFEINHEL a Chinese man lived at the airport for 30 days last autumn and familiarised himself with the airport and its service selection from the international transfer passenger’s perspective. (As reported, LIFEINHEL won Best YouTube Video/Campaign in The Moodies 2018, the airport and travel retail digital media awards organised by The Moodie Davitt Report).
Jormanainen said: “Ajisen Ramen is both familiar and popular among Asian passengers. The fact that this is the second restaurant in Europe and the first in the Nordic Countries illustrates how Helsinki Airport and its services are continuously being developed with a customer oriented approach. Customer feedback has suggested that there is demand for the type of food offered by Ajisen Ramen that is not currently been met.
“Since we are seeing a double-digit growth rate in the number of passengers, from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea we expect this restaurant to be very well received. It will offer a total of 200 customer seats, and as a nod to the cuisine of Finland, it will serve reindeer ramen.”
Jormanainen added: “Thanks to its world-famous founder Jamie Oliver, Jamie’s Deli is already familiar to many air passengers. However, this is the first restaurant in Finland, and the airport is the ideal location for this brand debut. The food offer at Jamie’s Deli is based on fresh, local produce and freshly prepared food, a concept that goes hand in hand with Finland’s natural environment – the world’s best drinking water and pure quality.”
NOTE: The Moodie Davitt Report also publishes The Foodie Report, the world’s only media focused on airport (and other travel-related) food & beverage. The Foodie Report e-Newsletter is published every two weeks and The Foodie Report e-Zine every month.
Please send all news of food & beverage outlet openings, together with images, menus, video etc to Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com to ensure unrivalled global exposure.
The company also organises the annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards. This year’s FAB will be held in Helsinki on 20 and 21 June. Click here for details.
