Järvenpää's K-Citymarket is a phenomenon even on the global stage. In November, the store, led by Markku Hautala, was named the best store in the world in an international competition. The sushi counter, ice cream factory, deli, and meat-cutting station, among others, draw customers to Järvenpää from far beyond the local area. At the fresh counters, customers are served by staff wearing Medanta uniforms.
In November, the Järvenpää K-Citymarket was named the world's best store at the IGD Store of the Year Award gala in London, in the Store of the Year category. This is quite an achievement, as no other store from Finland has ever even reached the final of the competition before.
Earlier this year, the Finnish Food Culture Foundation awarded the Järvenpää K-Citymarket the 2019 Flying Plate (Lentävä Lautanen) food culture prize. According to the justification, Hautala’s store combines grocery and restaurant expertise, an awareness of price, quality, and seasonality, and respect for food producers and customers. The jury praised Hautala for placing good taste at the heart of the grocery store.
The long-time merchant also invests in good taste and quality when it comes to his employees' uniforms. Since last autumn, staff at the meat, fish, and sushi counters, as well as the seasonal academy of the store—which was also voted K-Citymarket of the Year—have been working in uniforms designed in collaboration with Medanta.
“We worked with Italian designers on a new look for the departments and noticed that the chain's traditional work uniforms didn't fit the ambiance of the counters. Our restaurant manager Laura Väisänen designed the front-of-house uniforms in collaboration with Medanta, and the kitchen uniforms are the handiwork of our restaurateur Matti Jämsén,” Hautala explains.
Spacious pockets hold everything needed
According to the merchant, the most important aspects of workwear for fresh counters—besides the fit—are ease of maintenance. Stains are inevitable, so they must come off easily in the wash. The pockets need to accommodate items such as pens, a cutter, and a phone. The coloring also plays an important role in creating the right atmosphere: staff at the meat counter work in blue, at the fish counter in white, and in the sushi section in red. The colors were also chosen to ensure that any splashes that occur during the workday are as inconspicuous as possible.
There are over 30 employees working at the counters. In total, more than 150 people work in the store and its surrounding restaurants. The store is among the ten largest Citymarkets in Finland. “The uniform has to fit into the environment. Visually, we are a very different store compared to most Citymarkets,” Hautala continues.
One surprise arose during the design phase, but it was resolved quickly. Working at the meat counter is such a cold task that, in addition to the traditional workwear, jackets were ordered to provide warmth.
“Meat is cut at four degrees Celsius, and the storage area is zero degrees. You can’t just walk around in short sleeves there,” Hautala chuckles.
Hautala is also ordering Medanta uniforms for the employees of the new Deli opening adjacent to the store. Those are still in the design phase.
“All employees in the pizza department, café, and ice cream factory will receive new workwear. We want the uniforms to communicate which group an employee belongs to and who the customer can turn to. At the same time, we want to highlight the employee’s professionalism.”
Employee turnover must be considered
The uniforms are made of technical Medanta Flex material, the main ingredient of which is polyester. Polyester wicks moisture away from the skin. The fabric blend also includes cotton for warmth, as well as elastane, which allows the garment to stretch and adapt to the wearer's movements. Important characteristics of the material include its antibacterial properties, breathability, and performance comparable to sportswear.
The uniforms are unisex, and employees can wear their own shoes, provided they are suitable and safe for the working environment.
The restaurant has a laundry system that washes the employees' clothes. Other employees wash their own. Every employee has at least two uniforms, but those working at the service counters have more because their clothes get dirty more easily. The uniforms last about two years in use.
According to merchant Markku Hautala, employee turnover must also be taken into account when designing workwear. During the design process, they consider which pieces can be combined from existing selections and which uniforms should be individually tailored. The trousers are nearly identical for all employees, making them easy to reorder. The fish counter uniforms are combined from products already in Medanta’s selection.
“Employees working in the main store area still wear the visually identical uniforms designed by the chain,” Hautala says.
Aiming for a long-term partnership
Hautala walks through the gates of his store and heads first to the fruit and vegetable section. The atmosphere is indeed different from most large supermarkets. A walkway runs in front of the fresh counters, which can be crossed like a pedestrian crossing. Greenery grows alongside the designer lamps hanging above the fruits and vegetables. Customers can squeeze their own fresh juice from the fruit lining the wall.
“For example, the restaurant has no warehouse at all; instead, employees pick fresh ingredients directly from the shelves about seven times a day,” Hautala explains.
At the meat counter, customers are served by master butchers Kimmo Eilola and Tero Leikas, dressed in blue shirts. The red work shirt of sushi artisan Kumiko Onodera-Lemmetti, who works at the sushi counter, stands out from afar as she carries full sushi trays from the kitchen to replace empty ones.
“I really like my uniform. It’s comfortable to wear and the color is cheerful,” Onodera-Lemmetti praises.
In addition to the employees, the merchant is pleased with the new uniforms. He describes the collaboration with Medanta as a long-term partnership.
“It is nice to work with a company that truly knows how and wants to be involved in our journey and development.”
