Finland has the Best Shopping Center 2017

FORUM Shopping Centre in Finland is the Best Nordic Shopping Center 2017! The winner was announced on the evening on May 10 during the NCSC Nordic Award 2017 at the Scandic Continental in Stockholm. The nominated centers were; Jekta Storsenter in Tromsø, Norway, Metropol Shopping Centre in Hjørring, Denmark and Forum Shopping Centre in Helsinki, Finland.

Since 2009 the Nordic Council of Shopping Centers (NCSC) has recognized the best achievements in the Nordic shopping center industry by announcing a winner of the NCSC Award, a challenge prize “The Nordic Star by MK Illumination”. All the nominated centers are already national winners in their own country. Sweden did not have any nominated centre this year due to the investigation of the criteria’s.

The jury’s winner motivation:

“This year’s winner of the Nordic Shopping Centre Award has through its consistent development work over several years and with the preservation and development of its well-known brand, maintained and developed a clear and strong position in its market despite increasing competition and turbulent times in retail.

Implemented refurbishment and development projects have had a distinct strategy and impressive execution during the centres regular opening hours, without customers being affected as well as keeping quality high and costs under budget.

The centres active work with social responsibility programs finding jobs to young people with good results is admirable.

By caring for architecture and heritage while developing the centre and expanding and broaden the content-mix, in line with current trends and growing consumer demands, the centre has gained an even stronger position to meet its future challenges.

The winner of the Nordic Shopping Center Award 2017 is:

FORUM Shopping Centre in Helsinki, Finland.”

The Nordic jury 2017

• Sweden: Charles Larsson, Senior Advisor, Retail eX – jury chair
• Denmark: Eva Handest, Head of Retail Investments, Danica Pension
• Finland: Aarno Poholta, Managing Director, The Body Shop
• Norway: Jomar Asbøll, Center Manager, DNB Næringseiendom

The nominated centre’s 2017:

• Metropol Shopping Centre – Hjørring, Denmark
• Jekta Storsenter – Tromsø, Norway
• Forum Shopping Centre – Helsinki, Finland

Previous Award Winners:

• 2016 Frederiksberg Centret FRB.C, Denmark
• 2015 Täby Centrum, Sweden
• 2014 Gulskogen, Norway
• 2013 Väla Centrum, Sweden
• 2012 Grand Samarkand, Sweden
• 2011 Sandvika Storsenter, Norway
• 2010 Oslo City, Norway
• 2009 Forum Nacka, Sweden

The jury's judgement is based on 6 main criteria's, which have been given different importance factors. The main criteria’s are:

Accessibility 15 %

Content 20 %

Architecture 20 %

Management 15 %

Marketing 15 %

Financials 15 %

These criteria’s are judged on a scale from 1-5 and the result is finally compared with the whole jury’s overall and emotional impression of each Shopping Center.