“Competition is global, and customers have entirely new expectations for Finnish retail and its genuine omnichannel capabilities. Our main task as a cooperative retail group is to serve our customer-owners and to continue securing an affordable shopping basket and our cost competitiveness,” explains SOK’s CEO Hannu Krook.

S Group has introduced a wide range of digital tools in its stores and outlets, and it holds a leading position in Finnish online retail. According to Krook, the technological transformation journey has been underway for some time, and now is the right moment for the next phase.

“As technologies develop and ways of working become more digital, people and smooth processes still decide the game. We are launching planning with the aim of building SOK into an organisation that wins in the future. We will remove the boundaries between business leadership and technological development — going forward, we will lead an integrated whole in which business and technology form a seamless alliance, and people work toward shared goals while continuously learning and improving,” Hannu Krook describes.

Change negotiations will begin at SOK on 25 August 2026 and are expected to conclude on 15 September 2026. Approximately 900 people are within the scope of the negotiations. If implemented, the plan is estimated to result in the discontinuation of up to 130 current roles and significant changes to many roles. In addition, the plan includes approximately 60 new roles. Efforts will be made to offer new roles and other SOK roles to employees whose current roles would end.